English Language & Usage Asked by thc on September 9, 2020
I know an ESL teacher and he has students where English isn’t their 2nd, but their 3rd and even 4th language.
That got me thinking, why is it "English as a Second Language" and not something like "English as a Non-Primary Language".
Everyone understands what you mean when you say ESL, but it just sort of annoys me that the phrase isn’t quite accurate.
It is used to mean
the use of English by speakers with different native languages.
A majority of the students probably know only their native languages, and names have a tendency to stick even when semantic drift or circumstances mean they are no longer accurate at all.
When a given speaker wishes to make it clear, he can certainly say that English is his third, or fourth, or twenty-first language.
Answered by Mary on September 9, 2020
Yes, it can mean English as a Third, Fourth or Fifth Language. Yes, it's not strictly accurate. No, most people are not bothered by it.
Outside of US and Canada the concept is often called "English as a Foreign Language", which is more accurate. ESL is used in those countries because English is not foreign, and because many of the people being taught are resident in those English speaking countries, and are taught English to be able to function there where English is not foreign.
Answered by DJClayworth on September 9, 2020
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