(Gotta Keep Reading)

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Language in
Academic
Text
Learning Objectives:
✔ differentiate academic text
from non-academic text
✔ define what an academic
language is;
✔ identify the characteristics
of an academic language;
and
✔ use academic language in
academic writing.
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 Academic Texts
✔ Written by professionals in
the given field
✔ Well-edited and often takes
years to publish
✔ Uses formal language
✔ Contains words and terms
specific to the field.

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 Academic Texts
✔ Contains list of sources and
references.
✔ Main goal is to advance
human understanding in a
particular discipline
✔ Can be challenging for
novice/beginner readers
✔ Informative, argumentative,
or objective in nature
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Some Examples of Academic
Writing
✔ School books and textbooks
✔ Journal articles
✔ Research proposals and
papers
✔ Some newspapers and
magazine (broadsheets,
national geographics,
science magazine
✔ Literary Analysis 6
 Non-Academic
Texts
✔ Written for the mass public
✔ Published quickly and can
be written by everyone
✔ Often does not involve
research or sources
✔ Uses informal and more
conversational language
✔ May contain slang

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 Non-Academic
Texts
✔ Author may be unknown
✔ Usually delivers simple and
basic information
✔ Can be read and easily
understood by any kind of
reader
✔ Personal, emotional,
impressionistic, or
subjective in nature
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Some Examples of Academic
Writing
✔ Blog post
✔ Fiction books
✔ Letters
✔ Personal journals and diaries

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Academic
Language
represents the language
demands of school. Academic
language includes language
used in textbooks, in
classrooms, on tests, and
other forms of academic
disciplines.
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 Formal vs. Informal
Formal Informal
(Academic Language) (Social Language)
Used for professional and academic purposes Used when communicating, writing or having
conversations with family and friends
No colloquialism and contractions involved
More casual and spontaneous

No using of personal pronouns

Less personal More personal

Variety of words, more sophisticated vocabulary Repetition of words

Sentences start with transition words, such as Sentences start with “and” and “but”
“however,” “moreover,” and “in addition”
No slang Use of slang: “guys,” “cool,” and “awesome”

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 Distinctive
“ Attributes
of Academic
Language

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 Formality
Generally, academic writing is formal
where the following should be avoided:
✔ Colloquial words and expressions and
idiomatic expressions

✔ Abbreviated words such as can’t,

doesn’t, shouldn’t and others

✔ Two-word verbs such as put off, bring

up

✔ Expanded terms over their

abbreviated equivalents such as “as
soon as possible” instead of ASAP

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 Precision
In academic writing, facts,
figures, graphs,
illustrations are given
precisely. The exactness
and accuracy of the data
presented are visible.

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 Explicitnes
s
The writer makes sure
that the various parts
of the text are related
to one another, free
from obscurity and
easy to understand.
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 Accuracy
Academic writing uses
vocabulary and statistics
accurately that conform to the
correct value or standard. A
writer chooses the
appropriate word; let us say
“meeting, assembly,
gathering, and conference”.

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 Hedging
Writer makes
decisions about
his/her stance on a
particular subject. The
strength of the claims
must be considered.
He/She also uses
cautious language. 17
 Language in
Hedging
Certain Lexical Verbs
✓ believe Certain Modal
Introductory
Verbs ✓ assume Verbs
✔ seem, be sure ✓ suggest
✓ will, must

✔ tend, indicate ✓ would, may

✔ look like Adverb of
✓ might, could
✔ appear to be Frequency Modal Nouns
✓ often ✓ assumption
✔ think
✔ believe ✓ sometimes ✓ possibility

✔ doubt ✓ usually ✓ probability 18

 Responsibilit
y
Writer must be
responsible for
demonstrating and
understanding of any
source text used. All
evidences and
justifications are
provided to support the19
 Organizatio
n
Academic writing
is well-organized
where the ideas are
presented in a
logical manner.
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 Determine whether the language used in each passage is
ACADEMIC or NON-ACADEMIC. Write AT if it is an
Academic Text and NAT if it is not.
ACTIVITY
Academic/
#1 Nonacadem Passage
ic
Hold on to dreams for they are fleeting like moonbeams
in spring
As it is evident, a consumer goes through a set of stages
that determine a final buying decision and the first step
is the identification of a need, which is a catalyst that
creates a decision for a purchase of a good or service.
This research was conceptualized to analyze the typical
situation of a household with the head of the family
working overseas. Results revealed that the benefits of
having the head of the family work abroad exceeds the
disadvantages that the respondents experienced with the
set-up.
The bottom line is that the youth will inherit the world
and it is our duty to our predecessors to allow the youth
to have a say of what kind of world they would like to
live in.
The link for the product evaluation form will be sent to
you by the end of this week. Please take a couple of
minutes to answer the form based on your personal
assessment of our product. Should you have questions, 21
 Activity #2: Tell me what your
words, and I will tell you who you
are.

Draw a picture of a profession

you wanted to be. List down all
the words that you think
uniquely used on the profession
you dream of. Use the words in
your list to write an essay about
the profession you desire.
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QUIZ #2 : Read the academic text
then complete the questions that
follow to identify the text’s subject,
purpose, audience, language, and
perspective.
1. What is the topic discussed in the journal
article?
___________________________________
________________
2. What is the purpose of the academic text?
___________________________________
________________
3. Who is its intended audience?
___________________________________
________________
4. What characteristics of academic texts are
manifested in the abstract? Justify your
answers.
The historical events that change a generation are the
most interesting because both the event and reaction have
separate consequences. Such events and reactions are why
both Strauss-Howe and Mannheim’s generational theories
must be used simultaneously. Furthermore, the influences
on the Millennial Generation were magnified because
millennials were able to see what many generations did not
see: photographs and footage, in vast quantity. While the GI
Generation read about.
Pearl Harbor in newspapers and listened to
commentators on the radio and the Baby Boomers watched
day old footage of the Vietnam War, the Millennial
Generation watched the second plane hit the South Tower
of the World Trade Center on live television. Millennials
also saw how other generations reacted to events and
millennials learned from them. Millennials did not learn
what to do, but they learned what not to do.
-A Unified Theory of Generational Change: Explaining the
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Millennials http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/878/2/how-to-explain-the-