ABSTRACT
It is important to clear up from the beginning a problem of vocabulary. The term “English as a Second Language” (ESL) has traditionally referred to students who come to school speaking languages other than English at home. The term in many cases is incorrect, because some who come to school have English as their third, fourth, fifth, and so on, language. Some individuals and groups have opted for the term “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages” (TESOL) to represent better the underlying language realities. In some jurisdictions the term “English as an Additional Language” (EAL) is used. The term “English Language Learner” (ELL) has gained acceptance, primarily in the United States. The difficulty with the term “ELL” is that in most classrooms, everyone, regardless of their linguistic backgrounds, is learning English. The native English speaker in first grade is an English Language Learner, as is her classmate who speaks a language other than English as his first language. For the purposes of this book the traditional term “ESL” will be used, but on occasion the reader will be reminded that “ESL” is a traditional term referring broadly to ELL/TESOL/EAL. In classrooms, mostly in non-English-speaking countries, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is taught. The difference between ESL and EFL will be discussed later in this book. The distinction is an important one to make.
