A Case Of An Extra-Sensitive Perception Of ESP

Abstract

Given the choice, many English language practitioners would rather not have anything to do with ESP. One of the oft-quoted reasons for this from instructors is that ESP can only be taught by those knowledgeable in the subject matter. Another reason relates to the question of methodology, whereby instructors, in trying to appear knowledgeable, often find themselves inadequate even in the role of pseudo-subject experts. As for course developers, selecting textbooks that are suitable for both homogeneous and heterogeneous classes can be almost impossible.
Does teaching ESP require knowledgeable in the subject matter? Is ESP not a language affair beneath the guises it assumes? Because however alien its content may be, that content is still embedded in English, and there is virtually nothing of it that cannot be unearthed with some help from a technical dictionary and a good grasp of English.
Deficiency in the content area is only part of the cause of instructors' anxiety. The question of how to conduct an ESP class is another cause. In this regard, many teachers tend to make the mistake of trying to be experts in both the language and subject areas at the expense of their credibility.
The VG2223 (English For Applied Sciences II) course, offered to engineering and applied sciences students at the National University of Malaysia, offers a way out of this quandary.