Activity 3.

2 Everyday versus academic language

Understanding everyday versus academic language

Resource for Activity 3.2: Everyday versus academic language

This resource explains some important distinctions between everyday and academic
language. There are three parts to the resource.

Part one explains two important terms in CLIL that refer to the distinction between
everyday and academic language: BICS and CALP. Part two looks at vocabulary in
CLIL in detail. You can compare the examples in this section of everyday and
academic English with your examples of everyday and academic English put on the
Community Wall in Part A of Activity 3.2. Part three of this resource discusses a
model for thinking about language demands in contrast to cognitive demands, and
which can be used to evaluate the demands of a particular text used as lesson input.
You will use this model in Activity 3.3.

Remember to refer to the glossary from Activity 3.1 to help with understanding any
terms about language used in this resource.

After reading this resource you will reflect on what you have learnt from Activity 3.2.
You also have the opportunity to ask a question if there is anything that you need
clarified.

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Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

Part One: BICS & CALP

CLIL learners are often able to use everyday English but have difficulty
understanding academic English. Dale, van der Es, and Tanner (2010, p. 45) give
the following examples of when learners are likely to experience difficulties with
academic English: ‘when reading a text on nutrition for biology, when discussing
graphics in mathematics, when reading a newspaper article about communism for
history, or when analysing a written experiment for physics.’

In CLIL contexts, it is important to recognise the different language demands placed

on learners. These demands have been divided into two main types by Cummins
(2000). He distinguishes between conversational and academic language. To
describe these differences, he uses the terms Basic Interpersonal Communicative
Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) (Cummins,
2000).

BICS refers to the ability to understand and participate in everyday conversations

and carry out daily activities in the target language. BICS are basic language skills
used in informal communication. In terms of lesson input, BICS include day-to-day
language and the contextual clues that help understanding, such as visual clues,
gestures or facial expression that support communication. Second language learners
generally achieve BICS in two to five years.

CALP refers to the language ability required for studying curricular subjects. In
comparison with BICS, CALP therefore demands higher level thinking skills such as
analysing, evaluating and creating. Cummins noted that it takes learners at least five
years to attain a level of English suitable for academic school study. This time
depends on the learning context as well as the level of previous education and prior
learning learners bring with them. In CALP, clues to help learners understand are
often reduced or absent. Lesson input for CALP may be read from a textbook or
presented by the teacher, and the concepts are academically more demanding.
Consequently, the spoken and written language that learners need to understand
and produce for CALP is more complex than BICS.

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Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

CLIL teachers need to support their learners to gradually move from BICS to CALP,
from the everyday to the academic (see below). In order to learn about how to use
academic language, learners also need to become aware of the features of
academic language. For example, the use of nominalization: the process of forming
a noun from a verb. In the examples below, They destroy the forest and bushland in
Text 2 becomes The destruction of the natural habitat in Text 3. Academic language
also includes the use of the passive in which the form of the verb in which the noun
or noun phrase that would be the direct object in the active mode becomes the
subject of the sentence, also a feature of Text 3 below.

Moving from the everyday to academic usage of English

Text 1
There were koalas there but now they are gone. The road came and
they died because they didn’t have a home and food.

Text 2
When people clear land for houses and roads they change the
environment. They destroy the forest and bushland and then many
animals lose their homes. More houses and roads will pollute the
environment even more. Some animals have become extinct because
their homes have been destroyed.

Text 3
Clearing of land often results in the destruction of the natural habitat of
many local species. It may also increase the level of pollution. Loss of
habitat has already led to the extinction of many species of animal.

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Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

Part Two: Vocabulary in CLIL

At the level of vocabulary, Cummins’s two categories can be extended in a CLIL

context. CLIL teachers have to consider the role of academic language alongside
subject specific language (language that is specific to a particular subject). They also
need to think about language that can be used across different subjects. Bentley
(2010) provides a useful analysis of the types of vocabulary that students encounter
when studying subjects through an additional language. The examples given below
relate to Maths.

Content Content High and medium Expressions and

obligatory compatible frequency words collocations used
words for Maths words in Maths found in Maths in maths

circumference centre about sharp rise

diameter number across dramatic fall
size many

(Bentley, 2010, p. 12)

In the examples above, content obligatory vocabulary refers to subject specific words
and technical vocabulary that are used for Maths. These are words that are central
to the understanding of a particular concept in a particular subject. Content
compatible vocabulary refers to words that are used in Maths but also in other
curriculum subjects and everyday language. High and medium frequency words refer
to words that are frequently used in everyday language and also across different
curricular subjects. Expressions and collocations can also be found in everyday
language but are also used in specific ways in a curricular subject. For example, The
graph shows a sharp rise in the value of x (Bentley, 2010, p. 12).

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Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

In addition to these vocabulary groups, general academic language (or CALP) can
be found in all subjects.

Examples of general academic language

data evaluate
define analyse
credited context
interpret require
cited issue

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 Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

Part three: Language demands versus cognitive demands

Cummins (2000) has developed a model for thinking about language versus
cognitive demands of lesson input, such as a text given to learners to read. This
model provides another way to think about the difference between everyday and
academic language in the CLIL classroom.

Cummins’ Quadrants distinguish between input that is either BICS or CALP.

Quadrants A and B in the illustration below indicate BICS, whereas quadrants C and
D indicate CALP. In addition, each quadrant refers to the cognitive demands of the
input based on the degree to which language and content is contextualised. The
more contextualisation that is given then the more concrete (and cognitively
undemanding) the input is. Conversely, the less context and therefore the more
abstract the input is creates higher cognitive demands.

CUMMINS’ QUADRANT

Cognitively
undemanding

A C
Linguistically
undemanding Linguistically
demanding

B D

Cognitively
demanding

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Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

In Quadrant A, the language of the input is concrete and there will be lots of
contextual clues, such as visual aids, to guide understanding. The input is not
academically challenging.

In Quadrant B the language is still undemanding (BICS) but there are fewer
contextual clues placing more cognitive demands on the learner.

In Quadrant C the language of the input becomes more academic and therefore
more challenging. However, contextual support helps to reduce the cognitive
demands on the learner.

In Quadrant D the language of the input is academic and there is little contextual
support making this quadrant the most challenging in terms of cognition and
language.

Using this model can help CLIL teachers to determine if the input for a lesson is
appropriate for their learning outcomes for that lesson.

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Activity 3.2 Everyday versus academic language

References
Bentley, K. (2010) The TKT course: CLIL module. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.

Cummins, J. (2000) Language power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the

Crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters

Dale, L., van der Es, W. and Tanner, R. (2010) CLIL skills. Leiden: ICLON, Leiden
University.