LEON GUINTO MEMORIAL COLLEGE, INC.

443 Mabini street, Zone 2 Poblacion Atimonan, Quezon

(Recognized by the Government)
No. 010 s.1986

teaching minds… changing lives… moving forward…

Course/Major/Year/Block : BSED ENGLISH 2A

Course Code and Title : ENGL 215-Language Programs and Policies in Multilingual Societies
Discussant : Mark Johnbert Leguro
Instructor : Mrs. Richalle Ann L. Arcamo
Date :
Topic : Bilingualism and Multilingualism

Iceberg Analogy-CUP Model

The Iceberg Analogy-CUP Model is a language learning theory developed by Professor J.

Cummins, which emphasizes that the common aspects of two languages not only transfer, but are
interdependent. The theory supports the transfer of skills across languages and highlights the
possibility of acquiring two or more languages, and achieving educational attainment through one,
two, or more languages.
The Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) is a set of skills and implicit metalinguistic knowledge
that a child acquires in the course of learning one language, which can be drawn upon when
working in another language. The CUP provides the base for the development of both the first
language (L1) and the second language (L2). The Iceberg Analogy illustrates the CUP as an
operating system below the surface, which supports the linguistic features of both L1 and L2.
The first picture that better describes the theory is an ordinary language balloon inside the head
connected with both L1 and L2. The second picture depicts two icebergs which are separate above
the surface, the one includes the linguistic features of L1 and the second the linguistic features of
L2, but they function through the CUP below the surface.
It is important to note that academic performance may be negatively affected if there is not enough
motivation from the school and family to develop both languages or if there is pressure to replace
the first language with the second
 LEON GUINTO MEMORIAL COLLEGE, INC.
443 Mabini street, Zone 2 Poblacion Atimonan, Quezon
(Recognized by the Government)
No. 010 s.1986

teaching minds… changing lives… moving forward…

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS)

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
(CALP) are two continua that describe the way meaning is communicated either through contextual
or cognitive cues. The framework is constituted of two continua; the two extremes of the horizontal
continuum (context-embedded and context-reduced) refer to the level of contextual support needed
to communicate meaning. In the context-embedded case, the purpose is transferred by lots of
interpersonal cues, such as gestures, facial expressions, feedback, and change in intonation during
a speech. In contrast, in the context-reduced situation, an adequate level of competence and
knowledge of the language must communicate meaning. Moreover, the vertical continuum consists
of cognitively demanding and cognitively undemanding tasks. The first one refers to activities where
the cognitive involvement required to complete training is little since the linguistic tools that need to
use have been automatized while in the second case, the tasks require higher cognitive
involvement. Furthermore, another distinction made is among the quadrants I-IV; a person with little
fluency belongs to quadrant I, which means that necessary interpersonal communication is context
embedded. In contrast, advanced language competence belongs to quadrant IV. The quadrants II
and III are middle phases of the development of an individual’s linguistic competence.
It is important to distinguish between BICS and CALP because they are two different types of
language skills that are essential for different purposes. BICS, which stands for Basic Interpersonal
Communicative Skills, refers to the language skills that people need in social situations. This type of
language is what we use on a day-to-day basis to interact with others. For students, BICS is
essential for children to interact with their peers while they are playing at recess, during team sports
activities, at lunchtime or socializing outside of school. In contrast, CALP, which stands for Cognitive
Academic Language Proficiency, refers to the language necessary to understand and discuss
content in the classroom or at University. The CALP concept deals with skills essential to academics
such as listening, reading, speaking, and how to write about the relevant subject matter. Landing
this language skill is a crucial concept when it comes to a student’s academic success. It takes time
and patience for students to become proficient in language skills necessary for academic learning. It
could take between five and seven years for a student to acquire the appropriate level skills for their
academics. If a student has no prior experience in school or lacks parental support, this process
could take up to ten years.