The document discusses the differences between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). BICS refers to everyday social language used in informal contexts like phone calls with friends. In contrast, CALP involves the formal language of academic settings needed for success in school, which generally takes 5-7 years for students to master. Examples are provided of contexts where BICS and CALP are respectively used.