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Host language refers to the learning of the national language of a country as a second or other language by members of its society. In the UK, this is termed ESOL (English for speakers of other languages). It has links to EFL (English as a foreign language) but while most learners of EFL will return to the countries where they speak their native language, most learners of ESOL will remain, or intend to remain, in the UK. The majority of learners in ESOL classes are asylum seekers, refugees, or long-term immigrants who intend to live permanently in the UK.

Links have been established between the literacy and ESOL curricula and exams. However, learners in literacy classes are mainly those for whom English is a first language.

In the project partner member states, the nearest equivalents would usually be:
  • Czech as a foreign language
  • Italian as a foreign language
  • German as a foreign language
There would seem not to be the same division that exists in the UK between EFL and ESOL. It may be of interest to view the timeline of professional development in adult basic skills, devised by the Changing Faces project team at the University of Lancaster.


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Traning Basic Skills Teachers - A Comenius 2.1 Project