通用英语还是专用英语? 还原ESP的本来面目

GE or ESP? Restoring the Truth of ESP

目前学术界就大学英语是继续采用通用英语教学还是专用英语或者ESP(专门用途英语)教学的争论如火如荼,各派学者站在不同的角度对大学英语的走向分别提出看法。本文通过综述国外学者对ESP的定义,从ESP到底是什么、为什么要采用ESP以及怎样运用ESP课程设置理念三个方面,回答国内目前大学英语走向之争。本文基于笔者ESP教学实践指出,ESP的本质不是专用英语,其精髓在于基于需求分析的'以学习为中心'的课程教学理念。因此转变教学管理者和教师的课程教学理念是根本问题所在。

There has been an increasingly heated debate regarding whether College English shall continue with English for General Purposes,subject-based English,or English for Specific Purposes(ESP).By reviewing relevant literature on the definition of ESP,this paper explains what ESP is,why ESP is important and how to teach ESP.It is argued that no matter what to teach,the key point of GE or ESP is a paradigm shift of the conceptualization of teaching by educators and teachers.This paper argues that the“learning-centered approach”as indicated by Hutchingson&Waters(1987)is the essence of ESP,which might be an ideal approach to College English teaching in the current circumstances.