A Tentative Study On Developments In ESP

Ever since its emergence in the 1960s, the discipline of ESP, having experienced a comparatively full development both in theory and practice, has by far acquired the status of an international "lingua franca" in almost every field of study, for on the one hand the success of the English language along with its frequent use has turned it into a vehicle for international communication; on the other hand the orientation of linguistic studies toward language as communication in social contexts has largely promoted the dignity of ESP studies in the theory that English in different fields bears particular features and calls for special techniques. In China, however, ESP does not seem as advanced as it is in the west, and there has been little systematic research. If any, what can be found so far is kind of tentative, which therefore justifies the author's intention of focusing on the subject as her graduation thesis topic.Based on the reality, the practical teaching combined with the established theories, the present thesis aims at making a tentative study—theoretically and systematically—on ESP in a perspective of history as well as that of the pedagogical implications in the world of English language teaching (ELT) at home and abroad, involving the connotations of ESP; the setting and context where ESP holds; its five stages of diachronic development in particular and the linguistic development; the influence from schools of linguistic theories upon ESP as well as its value and significance in the practical employment, daily life and English teaching and learning. In addition, what is also analyzed are the status quo, its practitioners' due roles and its applicationbased on the characteristics of being multidisciplinary, all of which account for the fact that ESP is a very broad discipline and is interweaving and concurrently developing with other disciplines-applied linguistics SLA (second language acquisition), psycholinguistics and so on-instead of being only an aspect of the English language totally circumscribed and separated from others. That undoubtedly constitutes the very predominance of ESP in that ESP is the coherent whole that makes full use of the strong points of other subjects and succeeds serving them effectively in return. Further more, via a survey and analysis about what has been found in teaching practice, the application of ESP integrated with other disciplines-a wise choice and decision-is exemplified, hence the hypothetic blueprint and direction of ESP are advanced, which further secures its leading status in that it can be found in a wide range of activities in the world of ELT and other areas concerned.On the whole, supported by abundant data and literatures collected and confirmed by the facts in teaching activity, this thesis is expected to serve as an overall introduction and exemplification to present ESP and thus may effectively aid ESP practitioners fulfill various purposes by stimulating and innovating their insight in the area. It is in the meanwhile assumed to be of an unprecedented significance to fill up a gap in this field in China, so that the specific purpose the author pursues to render ESP into a household name at least in China's ELT will be likely accomplished, consequently offering some constructive guidance for ESP practice.Of course what is covered in this thesis is far from enough. The field of ESP is still open, and more efforts on it are required.