The Alphabet Soup of Teaching English

You have no doubt heard and read many different acronyms related to the
teaching of English. If you already know what many of them mean, this
exercise will be a refresher for you, but you may add some new ones to your
list, too. If you are new to this field and have not seen many of these
acronyms, you will get a big bowl full of alphabet soup here!

Before you read

Try to match these acronyms with the definitions below: ELL, TEFL, EIL, ESOL, CLIL, ESL, EFL, ELF, ELT,
ESP, ENL, TESL, CALL, TOEFL, EAP, CBI, TBLT, TESOL, EAL, TPR

____ English learning in countries where English is a dominant language

____ English learning in countries where English is not a dominant language

____ The teaching of English in countries where English is a dominant language

____ The teaching of English in countries where English is not a dominant language

____, _____, _____ Terms for English learning that do not specify “second” or “foreign”

____ A term for the teaching of English that does not specify “second” or “foreign”

____ Learning English as an international language

____ A term used for an English learner

____ The use of English for trade, when English is the common language

____ A test that nonnative English speakers often take for entrance into North American colleges

____ English learning specifically for academic study

____ English learning for specialized fields such as business or tourism

____ English learning that utilizes technology or computers

____, _____ Terms for learning language through content

____ Using tasks to help students acquire language

____ A term for English language teaching used in many parts of the world

____ A method of teaching in which students respond to commands

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Read and learn

Perhaps it started with “ESL,” or maybe “EFL.” I doubt that anyone knows at this point. But however it
began, the alphabet soup of acronyms that refer to English teaching and learning can be difficult to sort
out. To ensure that you interpret and use all these acronyms correctly, rather than adding to the
confusion, grab a spoon and let’s dive into that alphabet soup!

We’ll begin with two of the most common acronyms: ESL and EFL. The first stands for “English as a
Second Language.” This term has been around for a very long time and refers to the learning of English
within an English-speaking context. So, an immigrant learning English in the United States could be said
to be learning ESL, because English is the majority language in the United States. EFL, or “English as a
Foreign Language,” has often been contrasted with ESL. In many places around the world English is
learned in school as a foreign language, and it is not used in daily life as it is in an English-speaking
context. So, in the past, it was very common to identify English learning contexts as either ESL or EFL.

But this distinction poses some problems – problems that have given rise to new acronyms. First, for
many individuals learning English, it is not a second, but a third, fourth, or fifth language. Second, many
contexts are increasingly multilingual, making it difficult to distinguish an English environment from a
non-English one. In international schools around the world, for example, the language on campus may
be English even though the language outside the school is not. These realities have resulted in
replacement terms for ESL and EFL, such as EAL, “English as an Additional Language,” ESOL, “English to
Speakers of Other Languages,” and ENL, “English as a New Language.”

Two more terms related to English learning and speaking have to do with the spread of English as a
global language: EIL (“English as an International Language”) and ELF (“English as a Lingua Franca”). EIL is
not used very often yet; but as English becomes more global and perhaps less linked to specific places
and cultures, we may see greater efforts to teach English for international communication. This need is
already apparent in places where we find the use of “English as a Lingua Franca,” or ELF. In such places,
English is the medium of communication between individuals who have different native languages, but
who both know some English.

Probably one of the most important learner-related terms, increasing in its usage, is ELL. This term
means “English Language Learner.” Sometimes this term has been shortened to EL, or simply “English
Learner.”

When we begin to talk about the teaching of English, a whole new bowlful of acronyms is created. Thus,
TESL is “Teaching English as a Second Language,” TEFL is “Teaching English as a Foreign Language,” and
TESOL is “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.” In many parts of the world, ELT is a widely
used acronym that stands for “English Language Teaching.”

As the teaching of English has become professionalized, specialties have developed. We now have EAP,
“English for Academic Purposes” – helping English learners acquire academic language prior to or
alongside their study in an English-medium context. Similarly, we have ESP, “English for Specific
Purposes.” This term can refer to any type of study that has specialized language. Some examples are
“English for Business,” “English for Tourism,” and “English for Medical Workers.”

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English teaching has also evolved in its methodologies. Several approaches or methods have become so
prominent as to be recognized widely by their acronyms. Among these methods are CALL, which stands
for “Computer Assisted Language Learning,” and TBLT, or “Task-Based Language Teaching.” Another
approach to language acquisition that is increasingly common around the world is learning language
through content. In other words, students acquire the English language while studying something else,
such as math or science, because the medium of instruction is English. This approach to language
acquisition is sometimes called “Content and Language Integrated Learning,” CLIL, or “Content-Based
Instruction,” CBI. Another widely recognized methodological term is TPR, “Total Physical Response.” In
this teaching technique, a teacher gives oral commands, and students respond through movement.
While more rightly called a technique than a method or an approach, TPR is nevertheless a widely
recognized acronym related to English language instruction.

Acronyms abound in one more, vast area: language tests, standards, benchmarks, and proficiency
descriptors. These acronyms pose a problem for people in the field of English teaching because they are
so abundant and also because they are so regional and context-specific. An acronym that is important
for daily use in one instructional context may be virtually unknown by professionals in another. So, in
this category I will simply introduce two terms that are fairly widely known, and will leave you to
discover other testing and leveling terms and acronyms that are important in your context. First, the
CEF, or “Common European Framework,” is a set of descriptors of language proficiency. In Module 3 you
will learn more about the levels of the CEF and will also become familiar with other leveling systems.
The other acronym, TOEFL, is for a test: the “Test of English as a Foreign Language.” Because this test is
widely used to document language proficiency for entrance into North American higher education
institutions, it is administered around the world, and “TOEFL Prep” classes abound.

You have probably had your fill of soup for one sitting! We will encounter more acronyms and terms as
you move through the modules, but this is a good start.

After you read

How did you do on your initial guesses? Go back and check. Then, turn to the next page to fill in the
missing acronyms and meanings in the blanks next to the usages in the terminology chart. The first one
is done for you. An additional blank chart is provided for you as well, so that you can continue to add
new acronyms and terms throughout this course.

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 TESOL Terminology
Acronym/ Meaning Usage
Term
ESL English as a Second English learning in countries where English is a dominant language
Language
English learning in countries where English is not a dominant language

The teaching of English in countries where English is a dominant

language
The teaching of English in countries where English is not a dominant
language
A term for English learning that does not specify “second” or “foreign”

A term for English learning that does not specify “second” or “foreign”

A term for English learning that does not specify “second” or “foreign”

A term for the teaching of English that does not specify “second” or
“foreign”
Learning English as an international language

A term used for an English learner

The use of English for trade, when English is the common language

A test that nonnative English speakers often take for entrance into North
American colleges
English learning specifically for academic study

English learning for specialized fields such as business or tourism

English learning that utilizes technology or computers

A term for learning language through content

A term for learning language through content

Using tasks to help students acquire language

A term for English language teaching used in many parts of the world

A method of teaching in which students respond to commands

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 TESOL Terminology
Acronym/ Meaning Usage
Term

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Apply your learning

Create a personal teaching goal statement that utilizes at least five of the acronyms from the reading. A
personal goal statement might look something like this:

I hope to work in TESOL in an EFL context. I don’t think I will teach in a highly technological
environment, so I probably won’t use CALL. However, I like the teaching approach of TBLT and I
think that CBI would be a good way to acquire a language. So I will try to use these ideas so that
the ELLs in my classes can succeed!

Now, share your statement with someone. If the person you share it with is not in the field of TESOL, be
prepared to explain all of your newly acquired vocabulary!