Chapter 2: Distinguishing Between Academic & Conversational Language

In chapter 2, Freeman & Freeman outline Cummins’ Theoretical Framework in order to help the reader distinguish between Academic and Conversational Language. The terms Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) are reintroduced in order to draw educators’ attention to the challenges that English Language Learners (ELLs) encounter as they attempt to play catch up to their peers in academic language.

Here the Freemans set the stage for the importance differentiating between Academic and Conversational Language through an ELLs writing sample titled Dolores’ Essay figure 2.1a-2.1c. Next we proceed to take a look at Cummins research in Canada. Cummins research found that these students had no problem speaking and understanding English; they had developed conversational fluency in English. However, they did not meet standards on academic assignments and on cognitive ability assessments.

Some teachers and school psychologists in Cummins' study assumed was that the children’s speaking ability in class demonstrated their English proficiency, and as a result attributed their academic struggles to a cognitive problem rather than a linguistic one and placed them in special education classes. However, Cummins argues that students who have developed BICS but not CALP are not deficient in higher-order thinking, they just lack the academic language needed to succeed in the classroom.

Cummins defines academic language proficiency as “the extent to which an individual has command of the oral and written academic registers of schooling” (200, 67). Essentially, the Freemans describe that, academic language is specific language needed to understand and contribute to classroom discussions, read, and write. However, Cummins does not believe that academic language is superior to conversational language, it is just different. 

Cummin’s quadrants provide teachers with guidelines to determine the language students need to understand to succeed in school.

Garcia lists four ways for teachers to promote academic English development in their classrooms:

1)  Providing students with lots of exposure to Academic Language;

2) Ensure students pay close attention to the feature of Academic Language;

3) Provide direct, explicit instruction; and

4) Use multiple assessment measures of academic language development in ELLs. 

The chapter concludes, by highlighting that most ELLs develop conversational proficiency in one or two years. However, it takes five to seven years for them to reach academic language proficiency. Cummins explains that L1 academic knowledge supports academic success in an L2. It is for this reason that language acquisition experts advocate for bilingual education classrooms because ELLs who receive some instruction in their native language do better in school.