| Term/Acronym |
Spelled out/Defined |
| ABE |
Adult Basic Education |
| ACE |
Adult Continuing Education |
| ACTFL |
American Council on Teaching of Foreign Language |
| ALM |
Audiolingual Method - an approach to teaching languages which emphasizes oral repetition and drills |
| BICS |
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills - Social language |
| Bilingual |
Proficient in two languages |
| CALP |
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency - Academic language |
| CELT |
Comprehensive English Language Test |
| CLD |
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse |
| Communicative Language Teaching Approach |
A teaching method emphasizing practical language use, comprehension, and the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. |
| Conversational English |
Listening comprehension and speaking skills in English |
| EFL |
English as a Foreign Language |
| ESL |
English as a Second Language |
| ESOL |
English for (or to) Speakers of Other Languages |
| ESP |
English for Specific Purposes |
| ESLOA |
English as a Second Language Oral Assessment |
| Functional Illiterate |
Any person who can not read or write well enough in a language to meet every day needs |
| GED |
General Education Development - the equivalent of a high school diploma |
| Grammar Translation |
A method of teaching languages by learning grammar rules and translating into and out of the native language. |
| L1 |
The first language someone learned; the language used at home |
| L2 |
The second or additional language someone learned or is learning |
| LEP |
Limited English Proficiency |
| Linguistics |
A science which systematically analyzes and describes a language as used by its native speakers. |
| LVA |
Literacy Volunteers of America - a national, nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to providing Basic Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages resources and training. |
| Competency-Based MELT |
Main-Stream English Language Training - a list of language competencies in 15 topic areas ranging from lowest to highest levels of difficulty. Produced by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. |
| Monolingual |
Proficient in only one language |
| Natural Approach |
The learning of a foreign language intuitively by using it in natural or real situations. |
| NFE |
Nonformal Education |
| Primary Language |
The language usually learned as a child; generally used for communication |
| Secondary Language |
The language learned as a second language |
| TEFL |
Teaching English as a Foreign Language |
| TESL |
Teaching English as a Second Language |
| TESOL |
Teachers (or Teaching) of English to Speakers of Other Languages |
| TOEFL |
Test of English as a Foreign Language - a standardized test of English as a foreign language. Commonly used by universities and corporations. |
