English for Specific Purposes: Brief History

Abstract

Abstract. The paper describes the development of English for Specific Purposes, its linguistic features and role in modern linguistics. The beginning of the 21st century has been marked by speedy and great changes in various professional areas. These changes have seriously modified professional communication, particularly in terminology and vocabulary for special purposes. These changes created new challenges for professionals, including teachers of special-purpose language and communication instructors and called for a number of focused research based on historical estimation of the special purpose vocabulary in the second half of the twentieth century and until modern times. The article goes back to establishment of the term ESP within the framework of cognitive linguistics. With English becoming the lingua franca of international communication in all spheres, there arose a need for developing methods of teaching the English language that would meet modern demands. So ESP went through five approaches which are described in the article: register analysis, rhetorical or discourse analysis, target situation analysis, analysis of study skills and strategies and learning-centered approach. And it is still of great interest to researchers.