ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
LESSON: Academic Language Used from Various Disciplines
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: The learners differentiate language used in academic texts from various disciplines.
ACADEMIC TEXT VS. NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
Non-academic text are writings that are personal, emotional, impressionistic, and subjective in nature.
Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals in each field
using formal language.
o Examples: books, book reports, translation, conference paper, academic journal, abstract and explication,
literary analysis, thesis, dissertation, research paper
Activity 1
Direction: Categorize the information based on their characteristics below by filling in the table to differentiate academic
text from non-academic text.
Everyday Events To inform and/ or validate idea To entertain Formal
Scholarly audience Contains slang and colloquialisms Subjective Public
Related literature Introduction-Body-Conclusion No fixed structure Objective
Research papers, Reports Diaries, Informal essays
Characteristics Academic Text Non-Academic Text
Audience
Purpose
Structure
Language
Style
Source of content
Example
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE VS. SOCIAL LANGUAGE
Here are some of the differences between social and academic language:
Social Language Academic Language
In everyday interactions in spoken/ written form In textbook, research papers, conferences in spoke/ written
form
For everyday conversation Used in school/ work conversation
Used to write to friends, family, or for other social Appropriate for written papers, classwork, homework
purposes
Informal, such as words like “cool”, “guy”, “kidding” Very formal and sophisticated in its expressions, such as
words like “appropriate”, “studies”, “implementation”
Can use slang expression Don’t use slang
Can use phrases Uses sentences
Can be repetitive Uses a variety of terms
Sentences don’t follow grammar conventions necessarily, Sentences begin with appropriate transitions, like,
with phrases like, ”you’re hungry?” “moreover” or “in addition”
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
In academic writing, it is generally quite formal, objective (impersonal), and technical.
Formal
Choose formal instead of informal vocabulary
o Example: use insufficient instead of not enough
Avoid contraction
o Example: don’t
Avoid emotional language
o Example: A monster of a man violated an underage girl.
Use more cautious evaluations or hedging. Hedging can be used to indicate levels of certainty and make your
critical position sound qualified and well-reasoned.
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Low Certainty Medium Certainty High Certainty
Possible (adv) Likely (adv) Certain (adj)
May (v) Appear to (v) Must (v)
Seldom (adv) Generally (adv) Increasingly (adv)
Suggest (v) Should indicate (v) Emphasize (v)
o Example: It is possible that the results are incomplete. – low certainty
Activity 2
Direction: In each of the sentences below, decide which word in bold is more suitable.
1. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, it became increasingly evident/ visible that companies in the West were uncompetitive.
2. Education experts from France travelled to Japan to evaluate/ judge the secondary school system there.
3. Although it is not very big, the library has an excellent range/ variety of books, journals, and other resources for study.
4. Many students acquire/ derive a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction from their time at university.
5. The lack of extra student accommodation restricted/ narrowed the expansion in student numbers which the university
was planning.
Objective
Although academic writing usually requires you to be objective and impersonal (not mentioning personal feelings), often
you may still have to present your opinion. For example, you may need to:
o interpret findings
o evaluate a theory
o develop an argument
o critique the work of others
Activity 3
Direction: In each of the sentences below, choose which statement best describes the tips in objective style of writing.
Tip # 1: Move information around in the sentence to emphasize things and ideas, instead of people and feelings.
1. a. I believe the model is valid, based on these findings.
b. These findings indicate that the model is valid.
Tip # 2: Move information around in the sentence to emphasize things and ideas, instead of people and feelings.
2. a. disappointment
b. did not demonstrate
Tip # 3: Avoid intense or emotional evaluative language.
3. a. Parents who smoke are obviously abusing their children.
b. Secondhand smoke has some harmful effects on children’s health.
Tip # 4: Use modality to show caution about your views, or to allow room for others to disagree.
4. a. I think secondhand smoke causes cancer.
b. There is evidence to support the possibility that secondhand smoke increases the risk of cancer.
Tip # 5: Find authoritative sources, such as authors, researchers and theorists in books or articles, who support your point
of view, and refer to them in your writing.
5. a. Language is, in my view, clearly something social.
b. As Halliday (1973) argues, language is intrinsically social.
Technical
There are specific words or vocabulary which are only suited for a specific discipline.
Example # 1: Word - Values
HUMSS- cultural perception of what is right
STEM- numbers or quantity
Example # 2: Word – Virus
TVL-ICT- a malicious piece of computer code designed to spread from device to device
STEM an infectious agent of small size a that can multiply only in living cells
WRITTEN TASK 1: Individual Activity Highest Possible Score (HPS): 10/10
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Direction: Using the criteria given, evaluate the language of the following sample academic texts from various disciplines.
Text A
Micro physiological systems (MPS), such as microfluidic organs-on-chips, have rapidly evolved as promising in vitro
tools to recapitulate human physiology by recreating key biological processes and disease states. However, their value for
drug development is only now becoming clear. MPS combines microsystems engineering with cell biology, yielding cell-
culture models that can display three-dimensional architecture, multicellular interactions, tissue-tissue interfaces, fluid
flow, and organ-level mechanical cues.
Text B
The streetlights were a warm welcome from the oncoming chill of darkness. The park bench’s curvature felt familiar
under his tired old spine. The wool blanket from the Salvation Army was comfortable around his shoulders and the pair of
shoes he’d found in the dumpster today fit perfectly. God, he though, isn’t life grand.
SHORT QUIZ 1 (10/10) Highest Possible Score (HPS): 10/10
Part I: For numbers 1-5, write True if the statement states the truth. Otherwise, write False if the statement is false.
1. Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals in a given field
using formal language.
2. In writing academic text, the text should be FORMAL, SUBJECTIVE and TECHNICAL.
3. Academic text uses language used for casual conversation.
4. Example of academic text is personal blog.
5. Third person pronouns can be used in writing academic text.
Part II. For numbers 6-10, give 5 examples of academic text.
