Relationship to Second Language Learning
Academic language is used by all students in school settings, both native English speakers and English learners alike. However, this type of language use is particularly challenging for English learners who are beginning to acquire English at the same time that school tasks require a high level of English usage. Participation in informal conversation demands less from an individual than joining in an academic discussion Cummins, 2000). While the distinction is not truly dichotomous, it is widely accepted that the language skills required for informal conversation differ from those required for academic processes such as summarizing information, evaluating perspectives, and drawing conclusions Certainly, one may converse in a cognitively demand ing way such as debating a current event that requires significant knowledge of both sides of the topic but that is not the typical social conversation. The distinc- tion becomes clearer when we recognize that students have the ability to converse in English without needing strong academic language skills, English learners appear to speak English well in hallways, on playing fields, and in small talk before a lesson a begins, but struggle to use English well in classroom assignments or on tests. This situation occurs because they have not yet acquired a high level of academic language, which is cognitively demanding and highly decontextualized (Cummins, 1984)