Language+Terms


 * Language Terms in ESL **


 * BICS - ** ( [|Cummins] ) Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills: Skills necessary for functioning in everyday life and face-to face interactions. These skills usually take about two years to develop in most second language learners.


 * CALP - ** ( [|Cummins] ) Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: Language needed to function and achieve in academic settings; takes 5-7 years to acquire.

To learn more about Morphemes, please click [|here].
 * Morpheme ** - in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix)

To learn more about Phonemes, please click [|here.]
 * Phoneme ** - in language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

Take a quiz to practice your auxiliary verb knowledge. Click the icon below.
 * Auxiliary ** - giving assistance or support, a helper as in the helping verbs, "to be" and "to have." (Ex. She was sleeping.) (He has eaten.)

The Harry Potter books have a very unique lexicon. Click the image below to check out the wonderful lexicon of Harry Potter.
 * Lexicon ** - refers to all morphemes, including words and parts of words, which a person knows.

Check out this list of 280 American Slang Words and Expressions. [|American Slang]
 * Slang ** - informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions

Use this great game with your students to build morphology skills. Simply click on the icon below.
 * Morphology ** – the study of the patterns or rules of word formation in a language (including such things as rules concerning verb tense, pluralization, and compound words)

For more information about Phonology click [|here.]
 * Phonology ** - the study of the sound system of a given language and the analysis and classification of its phonemes

Take this quiz to find out what kind of American dialect you speak.
 * Dialects ** - a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region

Idioms and expressions are difficult for English language Learners and must therefore be taught in ESL classes. Click on the Using English Icon below for a great website for idioms and expressions.
 * Idioms - ** commonly used phrases that are not literal but figurative, ie. "to kick the bucket" & "under the weather."


 * Semantics ** - the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning

For more information about Semantics click here.

Study the language terms above via [|Quizlet]

A La Carte – (French) On the side. Bonjour! – (French) “Good Day” or “Hello” Bon Appetit! – (French) Enjoy your meal! Bon Voyage! – (French) Have a good trip! Bona Fide – (Latin) Genuine; “the real thing” Carpe Diem! – (Latin) Sieze the Day! C’est la vie. – (French) That’s Life! De Facto – (Latin) Actually, As a matter of fact. Déja vu – (French) “Already Seen” The feeling of having already experienced something before. Du Jour – (French) “Of the Day” as in “The soup du jour” Faux Pas – (French) A socially unacceptable mistake Hasta la vista! – (Spanish) See ya later! Konnichiwa! & Sayonara! – (Japanese) “hello” and “goodbye” Mi casa es su casa. – (Spanish) My house is your house. Status Quo – (Latin) The norm; normal
 * <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Foreign words and Expressions used in English **

For more foreign words and expressions used in English, please visit Discovery Education.

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 130%;">Contact: Erin Cathey <span style="color: #00a5ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15.6px;">ESL Teacher at Valley Springs Middle School <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15.6px;">& Charles T. Koontz Intermediate School erin.cathey@bcsemail.org []