Language Support Program

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Module 2.1 Language and language frameworks

Language frameworks

An evidence- or research-based framework for understanding, identifying and teaching children and young people with language difficulties or disorders must underpin any systematic language support program.

Language is a rule-governed system for making meaning. Bloom and Lahey (1978) identify three connected language skills: ‘content’, ‘form’ and ‘use’, each of which need to be well developed for understanding, expression, and successful communication.

Table 2.1.2 Components of language (Bloom and Lahey 1978)

content

Knowledge we have of words and concepts (i.e. semantics)

form

Sounds, words and sentences that make up a language (i.e. syntax, morphology and phonology)

use

The way we use words and sentences to communicate, interact with others, and learn (i.e. pragmatics and social discourse)


The ICPAL language framework for students with language difficulties was developed by Dr John Munro for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Its purpose is to enable teachers to understand, reflect upon, analyse, discuss, teach, and plan future teaching of the various components of language. The three components of language identified by Bloom and Lahey (Bloom & Lahey 1978) [2] are reflected in the first three elements of the ICPAL language framework.

Figure 2.1.1 Comparison of language frameworks

Note: The ICPAL language framework is recommended by the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development for use in language support programs for students with language difficulties.

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The ICPAL language framework

In the ICPAL language framework, ‘Ideas’, ‘Conventions’, and ‘Purposes’, are associated with the learner’s ‘Ability to Learn’, in both the expressive and receptive modes of language. This model is encapsulated in the mnemonic ICPAL.

Table 2.1.3 ICPAL definitions

I

Ideas

The meanings of words, sentences, discourse and topics of language

C

Conventions

Rules governing the sounds, words, sentences and genres of language

P

Purposes

Use of oral language within social interaction

AL

Ability to Learn

Necessary skills and their prerequisites for the acquisition of oral language


A student may experience problems in one or more of the areas implicit within the ICPAL language framework.

Expressive and receptive language modes

Expressive and receptive language both require the communicators to actively engage in the communication process. Receptive language is not a passive process, but requires the listener to bring to the message their own understandings of language.

Note:

  • ‘Expressive language’ refers to the use of language to convey a message, including the use of grammatical structures, vocabulary and syntactic structures.
  • ‘Receptive language’ refers to the ability to understand language when it is conveyed by another, including the understanding of concepts, grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure.

Figure 2.1.2 How expressive and receptive language works (PDF - 30Kb)

The ICPAL language framework can be represented graphically as follows:

 

Munro’s ICPAL language framework attempts to provide teachers, speech pathologists and other professionals with a common language that can be used to describe, support and teach students with language difficulties. Table 2.1.5 represents the links between the ICPAL terms, everyday terms, and those used by specialists in linguistics.

Table 2.1.5 ICPAL and other language terms

I

Ideas

messages, meanings, vocabulary, morphology, semantics

C

Conventions

rules, grammar, phonology, syntax, prosody

P

Purposes

functions of language, pragmatics

AL

Ability to Learn

knowing how to learn, metalinguistics, metacognition


Professional learning activities

  • Participate in collegiate professional development

Individually or collaboratively, begin creating an electronic presentation (e.g. MS PowerPoint) about the main features of the ICPAL model that you can use when explaining the concepts to other teachers or to parents. You will be able to add to the presentation as you progress through the remainder of Module 2.

Note: A detailed schema of the ICPAL language framework is included in Appendix 3 (PDF - 23Kb)

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