In 1984, Dr. Jim Cummins, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, introduced two important concepts to help categorize and understand the language development challenges faced by students learning English as a second language (ESL). These concepts, known as BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency), are essential for understanding how students acquire both social and academic language skills. Dr. Cummins observed that while some students could speak English fluently in casual, everyday situations, they often struggled with academic language, which required a different set of skills. This observation led to the development of BICS and CALP as a way to distinguish between different types of language proficiency (Cummins, 1984).
BICS: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
BICS refers to the language skills needed for social communication in everyday situations. These are the types of language skills that people use to interact with others in casual settings, such as chatting with friends, playing sports, or participating in social events like parties or lunch breaks. For students, BICS is crucial as it helps them engage with their peers in non-academic activities. These interactions are context-rich, meaning they take place in settings where gestures, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues help convey meaning. BICS usually involves speaking and listening skills in a familiar environment, which makes it easier for learners to understand and participate.
For English Language Learners (ELLs), BICS typically takes around six months to two years to develop. It is a cognitive skill that requires minimal mental effort and is relatively straightforward. In these settings, students use simple, everyday language, and the topics are concrete and easy to grasp. Examples of BICS include understanding spoken instructions in the cafeteria, engaging in casual conversations, or following along with simple written texts like worksheets or signs.
Some key characteristics of BICS are:
- Context-rich: The language is supported by visual or physical cues, making it easier to understand.
- Cognitively undemanding: The language used is simple and direct, with minimal abstract thinking required.
- Non-specialized: The language is general and not specific to any academic field.
CALP: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
In contrast, CALP refers to the academic language needed for formal learning, such as in classrooms or other academic settings. CALP involves skills that are essential for engaging in more complex tasks, such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening in academic contexts. Unlike BICS, CALP requires a higher level of cognitive effort because it involves abstract thinking, specialized vocabulary, and more complex language structures. It includes activities like comparing ideas, evaluating information, synthesizing new concepts, and inferring meaning from texts.
For ELLs, developing CALP can take five to seven years because it demands not only language proficiency but also a deep understanding of academic content. Students must learn both the language and the subject matter simultaneously, which can be a significant challenge. For example, understanding a scientific article or writing an essay requires not just the ability to use English, but also the ability to think critically, analyze data, and understand complex academic concepts. CALP is context-reduced, meaning that the language used is often more abstract, with less reliance on visual or physical cues to aid understanding.
Some key characteristics of CALP include:
- Context-reduced: The language is often abstract and requires background knowledge to understand.
- Cognitively demanding: The language is more complex, and the learner needs to process more information.
- Specialized: It involves the use of specific vocabulary and structures related to academic subjects.
The Development of BICS and CALP
While BICS can take a relatively short time to develop, CALP is much more challenging and takes longer. It is estimated that English language learners need about five to seven years to become proficient in CALP. This is because academic language is less context-embedded, making it harder for learners to use non-verbal cues or immediate context to understand meaning. In addition, academic language often requires the ability to comprehend and produce complex written texts, such as textbooks and essays, which are cognitively demanding and use specialized vocabulary (Cummins, 1984).
The challenges faced by English language learners in acquiring CALP can be compounded by factors such as:
- Absence of non-verbal cues: Unlike social language, academic language relies less on gestures or facial expressions to convey meaning.
- Reduced face-to-face interaction: Many academic tasks require independent reading and writing, which can limit direct social interaction.
- High literacy demands: Academic texts are often abstract, complex, and require specific background knowledge.
- Cultural and linguistic differences: Learners may struggle with academic content if they lack cultural knowledge or are unfamiliar with certain concepts in the subject matter.
Conclusion
Understanding the distinction between BICS and CALP is essential for educators, parents, and students, as it helps clarify the different types of language skills involved in the learning process. While BICS focuses on social language used in everyday interactions, CALP involves the more demanding academic language required for classroom success. By recognizing these differences, educators can better support English language learners as they develop both their social and academic language proficiency over time.
References
Cummins, J. (1984). BICS and CALP: Empirical and theoretical status of the distinction. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 44(3), 13-35.
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