Designing ESP Materials for Clothing Retail Salespersons: An Occupational Purposes Approach

Abstract

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) constitutes a distinct domain of English as a foreign or second language, aiming to equip university students or employed learners with the vocabulary and communicative skills required in target situations (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998). Carter (1983) distinguishes three ESP course types: English as a Restricted Language, English for Academic and Occupational Purposes, and English with Specific Topics. The materials designed for clothing-store salespersons in this study fall within English for Occupational Purposes, as they focus on the specific communication skills required in the workplace. The assumed learners are salespersons at a fashion store in Wanda, a prominent shopping mall in China. They have a high-school education and retain only limited basic English, such as greetings and expressions of thanks. The syllabus comprises eight sections: welcoming customers politely; identifying customer preferences; describing and introducing clothing; offering sizes and options; making style and appearance suggestions; explaining prices and discounts and processing payment; explaining refund policies and seeing customers off; and course testing and feedback. The course may function as pre-service or in-service training, lasting one month, with two two-hour classes per week. The designed material corresponds to the sixth syllabus section, which teaches learners to respond to price and discount inquiries and to explain clothing materials, particularly when customers hesitate because of high prices. The study illustrates how ESP materials can be contextualized to meet occupation-specific communicative needs.