What Does TEFL Stand For? TEFL Acronyms and Terms

The TEFL world is full of acronyms, but what does TEFL stand for!? Here is a list of TEFL acronyms and what they all mean:

CELTA: Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults

Does what it says on the tin! Although CELTA is now also known as the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which covers a broader demographic.

CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning

CLIL refers to the teaching and learning of subjects such as geography, science and history through a foreign language, which in the context of TEFL is of course English.

DELTA: Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults

In 2011 the qualification title was updated to the Cambridge English Level 7 Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Delta) and now also includes preparation for teaching younger learners.

EAP: English for Academic Purposes

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

ELF: English as a Lingua Franca

This describes the global use of English as the international language of communication, particularly in the business world.

ELT: English Language Teaching

ESL: English as a Second Language

You can get a fuller under standing of the meaning of ESL here.

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

The acronym TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This refers to English language teaching that takes place in a country that does not count English as its native language.

TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language

TESL is the teaching of English to people who live in an English-speaking country, but whose first language is not English.

TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TESOL includes elements of both TEFL and TESL.

TEYL: Teaching English to Young Learners

Another one that requires no further explanation!

That completes our list of TEFL acronyms, so if you were ever wondering “what does TEFL stand for?” now you know! If you can think of any other acronyms we’ve missed let us know in the comments and we’ll add them to the post!

James Prior

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