ESL+Acronyms

L1 L2 SLA CULP ESL ELP ELL AAVE BICS CALP Now you add some!
 * ESL Acronyms** (Choose one to define)

Leanne Ali CALP - ** Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency ** is a language related term that refers to academic learning. These students often develop strong proficiency in academic language and as a result often appear to be fluent, while they actually still struggle with language gaps. Students still need time and support to become proficient in academic areas. This usually takes from five to seven years. Recent research (Thomas & Collier, 1995) has shown that if a child has no prior schooling or has no support in native language development, it may take seven to ten years for ELLs to catch up to their peers.

BICS - **Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills** are language skills needed in social situations. It is the day-to-day language needed to interact socially with other people. English language learners use BIC skills when they are on the playground, in the lunch room, on the school bus, at parties, playing sports and talking on the telephone. Social interactions are context rooted and they are not very demanding cognitively. These language skills usually develop within six months to two years after arrival in our country.

Teaching ESL About ESL

Some other acronyms are

ESOL – **English for Speakers of Other Languages** is a term that is more recent and is intended to be a more inclusive term (includes ESL and EFL)

TEFL – **Teaching English as a Foreign Language** is a teacher who teaches English to speakers of other languages in non-native-English-speaking countries

TESL – **Teaching English as a Second Language** is a teacher that teaches English to speakers of other languages in an English-speaking country