Academic Language

Academic writing requires

Academic writing requires sophisticated use of language. Since your tasks as a students includes writing for assignments, exams and reports, there is a expected quality in your use of Language and structuring of texts.

Four features of language

• FORMALITY

• EXPLICITNESS

• OBJECTIVITY

• CAUTION

Formality

Formality reflects your dignified stance in your writing as a member of the academic community. This means that since your audience are fellow members of the academic community, the language you use requires precision to make it a "legitimate" piece of academic writing.

Formality can be achieved through the following ways:

1. Choosing expanded modal forms over contracted forms

2. Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs, such as damage instead of mess up.

3. Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalent such as "as soon as possible" instead of ASAP.

4. Avoiding trite/ expressions, colloquial/ idiomatic such as kind of like, as a matter of fact. I need to go to the John.

Modal verb

Choosing one-verb form over two-word verbs

Examples of modal verb

Damage instead of mess up

Calculate instead of added up

Execute instead of carried out

Expanded terms

“Certified Public Accountant” over “CPA” “National Aeronautics and Space Administration” instead of “NASA”

Avoiding colloquial

Colloquialisms are informal words and phrases that are used in everyday speech and writing. They are often specific to a particular region or social group and can vary greatly depending on the context.

Examples of avoiding colloquial

Slang-for example, "chill" can mean "relax" and "dope" can mean "awesome."

Regionalisms- for example, "soda" can refer to "pop" in some regions, and "y'all" can be used to mean "you all."

Idioms for example, "kick the bucket" means "to die" and "raining cats and dogs" means "raining heavily."

Objectivity

Academic writing requires special knowledge and use of more complex language and objectivity. This means that the writing must be impersonal and maintains a certain level of social distance.

Objectivity can be achieved by:

Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you, I and we.

Example:

You need to conduct the experiment.

The researchers need to conduct the experiment.

Objectivity can be achieved by:

Avoiding rhetorical questions as it marks "closeness" with the reader, and constantly seeks his/her attention.

Example:

How can these problems be solved?

Certain measures must be discovered to solve the problems.

Objectivity can be achieved by:

Avoiding emotive language that shows biases and lessens objectivity.

Example:

The investigators were very shocked to see the outcome of the tests.

The investigators did not expect the results.

Academic English

It is the language used in all courses of study in any school or university. It covers discipline-specific vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, and applications of rhetorical conventions and devices that are typical for a content area or discipline.

EXPLICITNESS

Academic writing demands the use of signpost that allow readers to trace the relationships in the parts of the study.

If you intend to show a change in your line of argument, make it clear by using however.

Example of explicitness

It is apparent that the government hopes to provide assistance to the poor. However, giving dole outs to the "poorest of the poor" does not work in the long term.

Following expressions that would make your idea explicit

1. However

2. This is due to the

3. Similarly

4. In addition

5. For example

CAUTION

Academic writing requires care since knowledge is built form proven theories and concepts. Therefore, caution is needed to avoid sweeping generalizations.

In academic writing, caution needs to be observed in the following parts of your paper:

1. When a hypothesis needs to be tested

2. Drawing conclusions or predictions from your findings that may generalize certain matters or may not be conclusive

3. Referencing others' work to build on your own paper.

Verbs indicating caution

tends, suggest, appear to be, think, believe, doubt, indicate

Modal verbs indicating caution

will, must, would, may, can, might, could

Adverbs of Frequency indicating caution

often, sometimes, usually