Academic Language

• The language used for learning and communicating in academic settings and disciplines.
• It differs from everyday spoken language in vocabulary and structure, but both have
their own purposes and values.
• Varies depending on the discipline, topic, and mode of communication (oral or written).

Language across Disciplines

Each discipline has its own features and challenges for academic language, such as:
1. Mathematics
• Symbols, notations, numbers, and formulas to represent concepts and operations.
2. Business
• Has a special vocabulary (jargon) and compound nouns to describe transactions and
processes.
3. Social science
• Jargons related to different fields (e.g., political science, economics, sociology,
psychology) and uses graphs and tables to present data.
4. Natural science
• Technical terms, symbols, abbreviations, and diagrams to explain phenomena and
experiments.
5. Literature and the arts
• Content-specific terms (jargon) and use connotative language and figures of speech to
create style and expression.

Text Structure
• How a text is organized to communicate an idea, and it depends on the purpose and
content of the text.
• To determine the text structure, one can use language cues (key words), graphic
representation (text mapping), or outlining.

9 Main Informational Text Structures

1. Definition
• Used to clarify and explain concepts, ideas, and issues by answering the question “What
does it mean?”.
• Common in social sciences and literature and the arts.
• Language cues: verb is/are, words that refer to composition, words that suggest a
likeness, and general words that refer to a class or genus.
2. Description
• Used to give concrete details about appearance, characteristics, and actions. • Common in
business, literature and the arts.
• Language cues: adjectives to describe size, shape, position, texture, color, adverbs to
qualify an action or thing, and adjective phrases.
3. Recount of a sequence
• Used to narrate a historical period or describe a process or a procedure in chronological
order.
• Common in social sciences.
• Language cues: first, second, now, before, after, then, finally, while, meanwhile, during,
other expressions of time duration, and dates.
• A flow chart can also be used to show the sequence of events or actions.
4. Cause-effect
• Used to present reasons why a situation is obtained.
• Common in social sciences and literature and the arts.
• Language cues: to show causes (the first cause, the first reason, yet another factor,
because of, is caused by, due to, and a cause of) and to show effects (one important
effect, another result, a third outcome, as a result, consequently, explanation for,
accordingly, then, next, therefore, thus, so, and so that).
5. Problem-solution
• Used to show the development of a problem and the solution(s) to the problem. It is
common in mathematics and business.
• Language cues: propose, solution, answer, issue, problem, problematic, remedy,
prevention, fix, since, the problem is , the puzzle is, the dilemma is, the question is, as a
consequence, this led to, so that, nevertheless, accordingly, one reason for the problem, if,
so, perhaps, possibly, a solution is, solutions are, this resulted in, one answer is and
therefore.
6. Comparison and contrast
• Used to explore the similarities and differences of two or more things.
• Common in mathematics and social science.
• Language cues: same as, alike, not only…but also, either…or, likewise, similarly, similar to,
compared with, as well as, resemble, like and both for comparison; different from, in
contrast, although, more than, less than, instead of, however, on the other hand, on the
contrary, as opposed to, but not, while, unless, unlike and neither for contrast.
• A Venn diagram can also be used to show the comparison and contrast of things.
7. Enumeration
• Used to list parts, characteristics, examples or other items related to a topic.
• Common in social science and literature and the arts.
• Language cues: to start with, first, second, in addition, next, then, another finally also
for instance for example in fact etc.
• Often appears as a numbered list or a bulleted text.
8. Classification
• Arrange groups of persons, place, things or abstract ideas according to a common
characteristic.
• Common in social science and literature and the arts.
• Language cues: there are several types/kinds of a part of an example of
groups/kinds/ways/types/classes of another kind of and divided into
9. Thesis-evidence
• Argue a point/position or interpretation by presenting a general statement or thesis
followed by supporting details or evidence. It can be arranged deductively (thesis first) or
inductively (evidence first).
• Common in social science and literature and the arts.
• Language cues: some verbs like assert claim prove/show