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INTRODUCTION TO ESP

(English for Specific Purposes: English for Science and Technology)


Starting from the need to be able to read the textbooks in a particular field at tertiary levels, the choice to learn English as a language of modern science and technology falls to the teaching emphasi ed on reading ability! "n reading comprehension, a reader needs to be able to select the main ideas of a passage, to follo# a se$uence of events, an argument or line of reasoning! %e should be able to note the main points, to select relevant details to support the main idea and to recogni e the relationships of ideas in a passage! %e should be able to dra# conclusions from the facts or experiences presented to him! "n short, he should be able to read actively and thoughtfully! &eading science like reading other sub'ects calls for common skills but scientific #riting has certain special characteristics of its o#n that re$uire special reading skills and abilities! Some of the characteristics are ( ( ( Speciali ed vocabulary such as: fusion, laser, density, molecule, loadstone, electrolysis, solvent, etc! The use of abbreviation such as: %)*) (%ydrogen peroxide), +n*) (manganese dioxide), ,S, )--, s$ (s$uare), yd (yard), etc! The use of passive voice: scientific texts generally place the emphasis on #hat happens to things instead of on the person #ho performs the action! .or example: ( The cell units #ere found to be filled #ith living substances! ( +any interesting experiments have been done along this line! ( .unctional shifts in #hich #ords can serve both as noun and verb such as burn, cause, form, line, move, result, etc!, and verbs that correspond to nouns like movement and rotation, etc! ( /ords(ending in 0(ing1 2 #ords #ith this ending have different grammatical functions as: 3! playing role of nouns: ( the 0moving1 of the matter

( such 0burning1 destroys organic matter )! functioning as ad'ectives: ( 0creeping1 plants ( 0burning1 rays of the sun 4! functioning #ith the force of verbs: ( the rays 0coming up1 from the sun ( a river 1flo#ing1 into the gulf! 5! semantic variations (different meanings) such as: ( the 0body1 of the car ( 0body1 building exercises 6! Special compounds expression in #hich combination of ideas is condensed into compound nouns such as: ( stunning instruments ( conception rate ( pig iron, etc! Scientific English also often has #ords and phrases #hich are rarely used in spoken language and the #riting usually use longer and more complete sentences 2sentences that employ complex embedding, nominali ation and other syntactical devices such as the follo#ing sentences! ( The importance of 7essemer process #as that, for the first time, it #as possible to produce large $uantities of li$uid steel () tons) #hich could be poured into any shape in the space of t#enty minutes! (7essemer steel)! ( "f such a melting of the polar could be achieved, #e #ould gain a fifth continent 2the ,ntarctic #ith its unkno#n #ealth of minerals, (might be the home of ne# nations and ne# civili ation! (/armer or 8older Earth)! Scientific texts are usually read out of a need for the information and therefore the readers have to be able to look for special meaning of common #ords 2 precise meanings 2 related to a scientific text for in scientific #ritings there are a lot of common #ords used in speciali ed terminology, for example: 3! a! Throat: The food #e eat gets into our stomach from the mouth through the 0throat1

b! )! a! b! 8ourse:

.or each test the maximum stress on the 0throat1 area of the fracture #elds! %e has taken an English 0course1 for a year! /e have all heard of computer plotting the 0course1 of rockets, preparing bank statements, predicting elections, forecasting #eather and so forth!

Some general features of scientific English of Science and Technology: 3! 9ames of Things Science is concerned #ith elements, substances, ob'ects, solids, li$uids, components, etc! Some #ords used in scientific English are found in everyday use, though they are also fundamental to scientific vocabulary! *ther names are more likely to occur only in a scientific context such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide! )! /ords describing things as for indicting their shapes, measurements, properties, $ualities or conditions such as s$uare, long, short, heavy, light, rough, smooth, etc! That is also a $uestion of vocabulary that those #ords are called ad'ectives! "n some #ords #e are concerned #ith morphology (in the formation of long(length, #eightless(#eightlessness) and in particular #ith the addition of suffixes! ,s #e kno# in the #riting of scientific English, pre( modifiers are often used! ,nd usually a noun phrase has more than one or t#o ad'ectives used! ( ( 4! ( ( 5! 9egative electrical impulses! :ltra(shallo# draught vessel! Expressions of impersonal activities Science is constantly concerned #ith activity! .or example: ,ll the inert gases like helium and neon appear in one column in the periodic table! The ultra shallo# draught vessel overcomes this technological barrier! Passive forms are more often used in scientific English .or example: ( Each of the elements has been assigned a number!

( 8ompounds can be divided into a number of different classes! ( 8oncrete is laid bet#een steel forms! ( Pavements #hich are more than seven or eight inches thick are best laid in layers to ensure ade$uate compaction! 6! 8ombination of ideas Scientific English makes fre$uent use of expressions in #hich a combination of ideas is condensed into a compound noun, or a grouping of nouns that has not yet been adapted as a compound! Examples: ( ( ( ( ( ;! ( ( ( ( Steel forms +arine technology Electron charge, +etal plates, Sulfate molecule!

9oun formations in the technical terms are often formed by adding suffixes to verbs and ad'ectives such as: noun suffixes #ith verbs ends #ith (ance<(ence: resistance, reference, existence! ends #ith (er or forming nouns performing the action of the verb: insulator, conductor, computer! ends #ith (ation, (tion: compaction, operation, conversion, ioni ation, distortion, transmission, solution! ends #ith (ment: pavement, basement, arrangement!

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