ABSTRACT
English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction is the teaching of English—in an English-speaking country—to individuals whose mother tongue is a different language. For example, a native speaker of Chinese who studies English in the United States or an immigrant from Italy who studies English in Australia is studying English as a Second Language. In contrast, the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (often called TEFL) refers to the teaching of English in a country where English is not the dominant language. Thus, when English is taught in Mexico to native Spanish speakers or in Germany to native German speakers, this is the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language. Clearly, the “linguistic” environment in which instruction in English takes place distinguishes ESL from TEFL. The former occurs in an English-speaking country—where the learner of English is surrounded by the language—whereas with TEFL, exposure to English may be limited to the classroom. In this chapter, we focus solely on ESL instruction in the United States for undergraduates at the postsecondary level. Moreover, although not all linguists differentiate between “second” and “foreign” language learning (e.g., see Gass’ discussion in chap. 2, this volume), we make that distinction.
