EAPP-LESSON-1-Language-Used-In-Academic-Texts-Lecture

Overview of Academic Writing

  • Academic Text: A specific kind of writing used in schooling and academic contexts.

    • Utilizes formal language.
    • Aims to inform, persuade, or argue a point.
    • Examples include:
      • Journals
      • Newspapers
      • Researches / Research papers
      • Essays

  • Language: Refers to the specific words used by the writer in discussing a topic.

Characteristics and Features of Academic Language

Academic language is defined by four core features: Formality, Objectivity, Explicitness, and Caution.

1. Formality

  • Definition: Refers to the writer's dignified stance in writing.
  • Methods to Achieve Formality:
    • Choosing expanded forms over contracted forms:
      • Contracted (Incorrect): Don't →\rightarrow Expanded (Correct): Do not
      • Contracted (Incorrect): Shouldn't →\rightarrow Expanded (Correct): Should not
    • Choosing one-word verbs over two-word phrasal verbs:
      • Two-word verb: Mess up →\rightarrow One-word verb: Ruin or Damage
      • Two-word verb: Added up →\rightarrow One-word verb: Calculate
      • Two-word verb: Bought out →\rightarrow One-word verb: Purchase
    • Choosing expanded terms over abbreviated equivalents:
      • Abbreviated: Est. →\rightarrow Expanded: Established
      • Abbreviated: Ave. →\rightarrow Expanded: Avenue
      • Abbreviated: Tom. →\rightarrow Expanded: Tomorrow
      • Abbreviated: ASAP →\rightarrow Expanded: As soon as possible
    • Avoiding colloquial and idiomatic expressions:
      • Colloquial: Kinda →\rightarrow Formal: Kind of
      • Colloquial: Sorta →\rightarrow Formal: Sort of
      • Expressions to avoid entirely: Gonna, Gotta

2. Objectivity

  • Definition: Ensures that the focus of information remains on the topic rather than on the writer himself or herself.
  • Methods to Achieve Objectivity:
    • Avoiding personal pronouns:
      • Do not use first-person or second-person personal pronouns: I, You, My, We, Me, Mine, Us, Our.
      • Use a third-person point of view.
      • Example:
        • Personal Pronoun Usage: We need to follow instructions.
        • Objective Revision: The researchers need to follow instructions.
    • Avoiding rhetorical questions:
      • Academic texts aim directly to inform, making rhetorical questions inappropriate.
      • Example:
        • Rhetorical Question: How can these problems be solved?
        • Objective Revision: Certain measures must be discovered to solve the problems.
    • Avoiding emotive language:
      • Emotive words reveal personal biases and reduce overall objectivity.
      • Example:
        • Emotive Language: The police investigators were shocked to see the results of the tests.
        • Objective Revision: The police investigators did not expect the results.

3. Explicitness

  • Definition: Refers to the clarity of the writing structure through clear and precise language, as well as the effective use of conjunctions and transitional connectors.
  • Demonstration of Explicitness via Connectors:
    • Statement 1: Schools hope to provide quality education to the learners.
    • Statement 2: Having this COVID-19 pandemic requires a lot of effort to reach out students.
    • Combined Explicit Statement: Schools hope to provide quality education to the learners. However, having this COVID-19 pandemic requires a lot of effort to reach out students.

List of Conjunctions

  • Categories of Conjunctions:
    • Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS):
      • List