EFL, ESOL, ESL, EIL, ELF AND EGL

• EFL (English as a Foreign Language)

This term is normally used to talk about students that their L1 is not English, so they are learning English while living in their own country. For example people in china or Brazil learning English are considered EFL because English is not the official language of those countries.

•  ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

It makes reference to a non-native speaker of English that wants to learn a new language or improve their skills.  It is specially used in UK, to refer to the teaching of English specifically to students that don’t speak English as their native English, but they are living in an English-speaking country. Also it applies to both ESL and EFL contexts.

This term was created because some people argue that when a students is learning English in an English-speaking Country, that student is not necessary learning a second language, it could be that the student is learning a third or fourth language.

•  ESL (English as a Second Language)

It is the teaching of English to people who speak another language, but is who live in a country where English is the official language. Schools usually use the term when they are describing the programs to teach students that are not native speakers of English.

For example people in Canada, in an extended period of time they learn English as a second language, because their first language is French.

Also, people acquire English as means of communicate in the dominant language spoken in the country that they reside, for example in U.S. that the L1 is English.

•  EIL (English as an International Language)

It is a form of English, used by people whose first language is not English. Also, EIL is recognized for the various varieties of English that are used around the world. Those varieties are factors of the L1 and the culture of the speaker, also the experience of the speaker with the language. So, English is used to be communicated with people around the world, and it doesn’t matter their culture or their native language.

•  ELF (English as a Lingua Franca)

This is a common mean of communication for people who speak other languages as their first language. Also, are the interactions between members of two or more different cultures talking in English.

For example; it could happened a Brazilian and Italian business talking during a meeting, or maybe a French tourist asking for a place in Belgium.

•  EGL (English as a Global Language)

English is considered as a global language because is used as an official language almost all around the world. It is recognized to be universal in all the countries; it’s so popular that the majority of people have studied English, or almost all people need to know the language to be in constant communication no matter where you are.

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