academic language proficiency (ALP)

The researcher Jim Cummins introduced this term (originally ‘cognitive academic language proficiency’) in the 1970s (Baker and Hornberger, 2001). Academic language is used in formal educational contexts. It differs from language used in other contexts, such as in conversation, and is generally more difficult to understand and learn. Consequently, proficiency in academic language takes much longer to develop, especially for second-language learners. (See also second-language learning delay .) The vocabulary in academic language is less common, and the words are usually longer and often refer to more abstract concepts. Academic language is generally less contextualised – there are fewer supports (such as gesture or one-on-one eye contact) to help the listener understand or interpret the message. There are also differences in sentence and text structure.