Common TESL Definitions:

ESL: English as a second language. The term “ESL” is used when English is a speaker’s second, third, or fourth (etc.) language, within a country where English is the primary language, e.g., the United States.

EFL: English as a foreign language. Refers to English learned in a country where it is not the primary language (e.g., Japan, France).

ELL: English language learner. Simpler term. Avoids the “second” (third, fourth) description.

TESL: Teaching English as a second language: The profession of teaching ESL.

TEFL: Teaching English as a foreign language: Teaching EFL (e.g., in Japan).

TESOL: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages: The professional association of ESL teachers.

LEP: Limited English proficient: A common way to refer to ESL students in the primary and secondary schools.

L2: Second language: A speaker’s second language.

L1: First language: A speaker’s “mother tongue.”