Acronyms

Some of the most commonly used acronyms are:

TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language

This applies to situations where English is learned and taught in an environment where English is not used on a daily basis in either an official or unofficial capacity. Examples – Italy, Indonesia, Thailand

TESL Teaching English as a Second Language

This applies to situations where English is learned and taught in an environment where English is used on a daily basis in either an official or unofficial capacity but where the mother tongue of the learners is normally a language other than English. Examples – India, Singapore, U.K. immigrants.

TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

This term is used for both the TEFL and TESL situations, where the mother tongue of the learners is NOT English.

TESOL is also the name of the largest organisation of teachers of English world wide, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. There are many autonomous national affiliates in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

TEAL Teaching English as an Acquired Language, or Teaching English as an Additional Language

This term is now widely used in situations where English is taught to non native speakers in a native English speaking country. Examples – U.K., Australia.

TESNL Teaching English to Speakers of the National Language.

This is a term created by IATQuO. It is a more local form of TESOL where teachers in a specific country teach students of that same country.

ELT English Language Teaching

A general term for the teaching of English in any of the above situations.

ESP English for Special Purposes

The term is used for the particular English required for special situations. Examples – English required in business situations, for academic purposes, or in the tourism industry. Some TESOL training courses contain sub-components on teaching ESP.

EYL English for Young Learners

Some TESOL training courses contain sub-components relating specifically to teaching English to learners of ten or under.

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