ENG505 Final Term Short Notes by VSC

Q1. Write down the types of proficiency assessment?

Answer: ANSWER: Proficiency Assessment is concerned with the general versus specific performances or knowledge. The types include:

• Discrete-point versus integrative assessment
• Direct versus indirect assessment
• Objective versus subjective assessment
• Group testing versus individual assessment

Q2. Who proposed the concept of CLA?

Answer: Bachman (1990), one of the leading theorists in the field of language testing, proposed Communicative Language Ability which attempted to distinguish between ‘knowledge’ and ‘skills’. CLA is concerned with the knowledge and capacity to use it appropriately in a given context. Bachman classifies the component called ‘Language Competence’ in two divisions:

1. Organizational Competence

• Grammatical Competence
• Textual Competence

2. Pragmatic Competence

• Illocutionary Competence • Sociolinguistics Competence • Communicative Competence

Q3. Note down the types of competencies?

Answer: These consist of the following: • Linguistic Competence • Strategic Competence • Sociolinguistic Competence • Discourse Competence

Q4. Write down the characteristics of communicative competence proposed by Sauvignon?

Answer: Answer: Five characteristics of communicative competence proposed by Savignon (1883, pp. 8-9) are:

• Dynamic nature of communicative competence

. • Communicative competence applies to both written and spoken language, as well as too many other symbolic systems.

• Communicative competence is context specific.
• Competence is what one knows. Performance is what one does

. • Communicative competence is relative, not absolute.

Q5. Describe celce-murcia’s SIX types of competences?

Answer: Answer: Celce-Murcia’s revised model of communicative competence proposed six types of competencies:

1. Socio-culture competence
2. Discourse competence
3. Interactional competence
4. Linguistics competence
5. Formulaic competence
6. Strategic competence

Q6. Define Bachmann’s model of language proficiency?

Answer: Lyle Bachman’s (1990) Communicative Language Ability (CLA) is concerned with the understanding of the language and its appropriate use in a given situation based on Organizational Competence and Pragmatic Competence. In the revised model of Bachman and Palmer, nomenclature was changed from the term competence to knowledge and strategic competence being proposed as a set of metacognitive strategies.

Q7. Write a note on CUP model?

Answer: (CUP) model was introduced by Cummins and Swain (1986) as common underlying proficiency model. According to Cummins and Swain, people who are learning second language follows a framework of language structures and functions driven from a person’s knowledge of one language to help him or her learn the second or additional language known as CUP. The CUP model is represented with the ‘dual iceberg metaphor’ and is the basis of the hypothesis called the ‘Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis’ according to which the first language has a relationship with other languages which is different form the surface but interdependent internally. The relationship is based on Separate Underlying Proficiency (SUP) vs. Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP). ‘Additive bilingualism’ and ‘subtractive bilingualism’ were also proposed by the model for determining the proficiency.

Q8. Briefly describe the BICS model of Cummins?

Answer: According to Cummins, Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) are considered to be not very demanding as they are the language skills needed in social situations. Being engaged in day-today language process, these skills require social interaction which is usually context driven. According to Baker (2006), ‘BICS is said to occur when there are contextual supports and props for language delivery. Face-to-face ‘context embedded’ situations provide, for example, non-verbal support to secure understanding. Actions with eyes and hands, instant feedback, cues, and clues support verbal language.’ Some of the examples of BICS are: • Observing speakers’ non-verbal behavior (gestures, facial expressions and eye actions) • Observing others’ reactions • Using voice cues such as phrasing, intonations, and stress

Q9. Write a brief note on CALP?

Answer: Cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) is a term proposed by Jim Cummins which refers to the stage of learning that learners go through after they have mastered social language communication skills. It is the stage where the development of academic language proficiency takes place in context reduced academic situations. ‘Where language is disembodied the situation is often referred to as context reduced’. In CALP, development of academic language is often abstract, and non-verbal clues are absent. One’s cultural/linguistic knowledge is often required for complete comprehension. Cummins argues that ‘teachers are unaware of the need for explicit teaching of academic language.’

Q10. Write down the comparison between BICS and CALP?

Answer: CALP BICS Writing story innovations Visuals: pictures, books and magazines with pictures, photos, objects, maps, charts, graphic organizers, drawings, roleplaying, games, etc Holding book reviews Simplified language and texts, translations, summaries of texts by peers Enacting plays Gestures, pantomimes, experiences, demonstrations, hands-on activities Discussing what you have read Samples, exemplars, models Collecting words Conducting debates Selecting role-plays

Q11. Why LONG discourage the concept of language?

Answer: Long (2005) discourages the concept of language for no purpose and advocates language for specific purposes. According to him, ‘General (language for no purpose) courses at any proficiency level almost always teach too much, e.g., vocabulary, skills, registers or styles, some learners do not need, and too little, e.g., omitting lexis and