English as a Second Language (ESL)
entry by Julie M. Marx, Global Family Expert at Expat Valley
The abbreviation for English as a Second Language: an older but still widely used educational designation for students learning English in a context where it is not their primary home language. ESL is now largely superseded in professional educational discourse by EAL (English as an Additional Language) in international and British school contexts, because the word “second” inaccurately implies that English is the student’s only other language — a significant misrepresentation for the multilingual internationally mobile students who are typically described by this term. ESL remains the dominant abbreviation in North American public school systems and in older research literature.
Comparable terms
EAL (see separate entry — the preferred contemporary equivalent; “additional” more accurately reflects multilingual reality) · ELL (English Language Learner — North American equivalent; see EAL entry) · EFL (English as a Foreign Language — describes English taught in non-English-speaking environments; distinct from ESL/EAL which describe the learner’s status in an English-medium school) · ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages — UK variant; encompasses both ESL and EFL populations)
Why this matters
ESL labels shape how multilingual children are perceived and supported. Outdated terminology can hide students’ full linguistic repertoires and reinforce deficit views. Understanding the shift toward EAL aligns language support with contemporary, strengths‑based practice.
Cross-references
EAL (Education); L1/L2 (Education); Multilingual Education (Education); Additive Bilingualism (Language & Identity); BICS/CALP (Language & Identity); Language of Instruction (Education); Learning Support (Neurodiversity & Medical Complexity Abroad). The BICS/CALP distinction is as relevant to ESL provision as to EAL — the label change from ESL to EAL does not automatically produce more sophisticated provision if practitioners are unaware of the conversational/academic language proficiency gap. Language of instruction is the structural context that makes ESL/EAL provision necessary; learning support documents the adjacent provision with which ESL is frequently and problematically conflated.
Sources
The term ESL has been progressively replaced in professional educational contexts by ELL and then EAL over the past twenty years, with California’s shift from ESL to ELL to EL reflecting a broader recognition that “second language” inaccurately describes students for whom English may be a third or fourth language, and that deficit-focused labels are pedagogically and ethically problematic.
Cummins, J. (2000). Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Multilingual Matters. Addresses the political and pedagogical implications of how English learner students are labeled in educational systems, directly relevant to the ESL/EAL debate.
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