This Frequently Asked Questions file (FAQ) has grown from about 20 questions/answers which kept popping up on the Usenet newsgroup, misc.education.language.english (m.e.l.e.). I've added questions I've kept answering on some other newsgroups and mailing lists, so that, while the original intent was, and still is, to produce a FAQ for m.e.l.e., the FAQ is now applicable to many ESL/EFL/ESOL interest groups, including individuals with no access to the Internet.

The main differences between ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) are the place in which English is taught and the purpose for which the students use English. ESL is taught in a place where English is the most commonly spoken language. Speakers need to know functional language and vocabulary specific to the place where they live. EFL is English taught in a country where a language other than English is primarily spoken.

English as a Second Language (ESL) differs from EFL, in that ESL implies the teaching and learning of English in an English-speaking region (e.g., the US), while EFL more commonly applies in non-English speaking regions. EFL and ESL involve different challenges and strategies for teachers and learners alike. (top)

Confusingly, the English language teaching world has a bewildering array of abbreviations and acronyms, many of which mean the same thing, and most of which have no official significance. ELT stands for English Language Teaching (or English Language Training—take your pick). This is a blanket term that covers all forms of English language acquisition, whether for native- or non-native speakers.

We have a full intensive English program at Snow College. If you need additional help with English before beginning your regular classes, we are there to assist you.

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is widely accepted terminology connoting the array of instructional practices, tools, and certifications by which persons who are not native English speakers gain and validate a proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and comprehending the English language. EFL proficiency can also imply an ability to function in a culturally appropriate manner in English-speaking locales.

TESOL is used to refer to the "Teaching English to Students of Other Languages" or to the worldwide recoginzed organization based in the United States: TESOL “Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages”

Cleverlearn recognizes the growing need for English as the common language in the new global economy. Globalization has integrated the world markets to an unprecedented extent. Consider the emergence of a European Union, and Asia’s emerging role in the Western economy. Thus, a common language of understanding, adjustment, and assimilation is needed and found: English.

This FAQ was first compiled in 1995 by an ad-hoc group of scientists and scholars interested in parapsychology, the study of what is popularly called "psychic" phenomena. Since then this document has been translated into German, Portuguese, Spanish and Finnish, and reprinted in several magazines around the world. The authors' disciplines include physics, psychology, philosophy, statistics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, anthropology, and history.

ESOL is the acronym for English for Speakers of Other Languages and the ESOL Consent Decree of 1990 is the State of Florida's guide for compliance with federal and state laws regarding the education of English Language Learners. UWF's PreK/Primary Education, Elementary Education, and Exceptional Student Education programs are infused ESOL programs meaning there is an anchor course (TSL 4980), courses with infused ESOL content, and a capstone course (TSL 4081).

English as a foreign language is a huge industry employing hundreds of thousands of teachers in almost every country of the world. Your tutors themselves have trained hundreds of teachers who are currently employed in a wide variety of locations

The term EFL or English as a Foreign Language is used to refer to teaching English to people who do not speak English. Worldwide, English has become the major language of news and information, from science and technology, business and government - everything from pop culture and international travel to education and publishing. About two-thirds of scientists read operating instructions in English and three-quarters of the world’s correspondence are written in this language.