Guidelines for extensive reading of texts on the use of ESP in European transnational education

The information and advice in this Unit is based on Professor Jim Cummins’ theory. Professor Cummins is one of the world’s leading authorities on bilingual education and second language acquisition. Mainstream teachers who have a knowledge of his theories and act on his advice will be in a much stronger position to help the ESL students in their classes.

Professor Jim Cummins differentiates between social and academic language acquisition. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) are language skills needed in social situations. It is the day-to-day language needed to interact socially with other people. Social interactions are usually context embedded. They occur in a meaningful social context. They are not very demanding cognitively. The language required is not specialized.

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) refers to formal academic learning. This includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing about subject area content material. This level of language learning is essential for students to succeed in their speciality.

Academic language acquisition isn't just the understanding of content area vocabulary. It includes skills such as comparing, classifying, synthesizing, evaluating, and inferring. Academic language tasks are context reduced. The language becomes more cognitively demanding. New ideas, concepts and language are presented to the students at the same time.

Jim Cummins also advances the theory that there is a Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) between two languages. The idea of CUP is in that the skills, ideas and concepts students learn in their first language will be transferred to the second language.

Text 2-16. BICS / CALP / CUP. Explaining BICS and CALP AND CUP

(After Judie Haynes)

1. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)

Experts such as Jim Cummins differentiate between social and academic language acquisition. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) are language skills needed in social situations. It is the day-to-day language needed to interact socially with other people. English language learners (ELLs) employ BIC skills when they are in the lunch room, on the bus, at parties, playing sports and talking on the telephone. Social interactions are usually context embedded. They occur in a meaningful social context. They are not very demanding cognitively. The language required is not specialized. University students can develop these language skills usually within six months to two years after starting their ESL course.

In fact the acronym BICS describes social, conversational language used for oral communication. Also described as social language, this type of communication offers many cues to the listener and is context-embedded language. As it takes about two years for students from different linguistic backgrounds to acquire context-embedded social language readily, ESL learners can comprehend social language by: observing speakers’ non-verbal behavior (gestures, facial expressions and eye actions); observing others’ reactions; using voice cues such as phrasing, intonations, and stress; observing pictures, concrete objects, and other contextual cues which are present; and asking for statements to be repeated, and/or clarified.

Cognitive Academic Language ( CALP) Proficiency is the basis for a student’s ability to cope with the academic demands placed upon her/him in the various subjects.

CALP refers to formal academic learning: listening, speaking, reading, and writing about subject area content material. CALP usually takes from five to seven years because: there is less face-to-face interaction; academic language is often abstract; literacy demands are high (narrative and expository texts and textbooks are written beyond the language proficiency of the students); and cultural/linguistic knowledge is often needed to comprehend fully.

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