Language Used in

Academic Text
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Target

At the end of this lesson, you are expected

to differentiate the language used in
academic text from various disciplines
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What is
LANGUAGE?
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Language

Language is a system of arbitrary,

vocal symbols that permit all people in a
given culture, or other people who have
learned the system of that culture, to
communicate or to interact.
- Finocchioro, 1984
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Language

Language is either formal or

informal depending of its purpose. The tone,
the choice of words and the way the words
are put together vary between the two
styles – INFORMAL and FORMAL.
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Informal Language

▸ Informal language is more casual and

spontaneous.
▸ It is used when communicating with friends or
family either in writing or in conversation.
▸ It is used when writing personal emails, text
messages and in some business
correspondence.
▸ Its tone is more personal than formal language.
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Formal Language

▸ Formal language is less personal than informal

language.
▸ It is used when writing for professional or
academic purposes like university assignments.
Thus, it does not use colloquialisms,
contractions or first-person pronouns such as ‘I’
or ‘We’.
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Academic Writing

Under formal language is academic writing.

▸ It is a challenging and satisfying activity that
needs great preparations. One of the necessary
preparations is on using language properly.
Academic writing requires academic language.
Language use is a qualifying component of a
text to be categorized as an academic text.
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Academic Language

Several definitions and explanations can be

given to academic language which is considered a
formal way to present words on a certain field. In
general, Academic language is used in classroom
setting – in textbooks, teacher-made tests and
other forms of academic disciplines.
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Academic Language

Moreover, it includes variety of formal

language skills such as vocabulary, grammar,
punctuation, syntax and the likes. These allow
students to acquire knowledge and academic skills
needed to do the work of schools.
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Academic Text

▸ Starts with posing a question, problematizing a

concept, evaluating an opinion, and ends
answering the question or questions posed,
clarifying the problem, and or arguing for a
stand.
▸ It has purpose: to inform, to argue a specific
point, and to persuade
▸ It is written by experts in their fields.
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Academic Text

▸ It includes information from credible sources.

▸ It includes list of references.
▸ Also, it usually exhibits all the properties of a
well-written text: organization, unity,
coherence and cohesion, as well as strict
language use and mechanics.
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Main Language
Features of Academic
Texts
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1. Avoid using contractions

Informal: The improvements canʼt be introduced due

to funding restrictions.
Formal: Improvements cannot be introduced due to
funding restrictions.
Informal: I donʼt believe that the results are accurate.
Formal: The results are not believed to be accurate.
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2. Avoid using phrasal verbs/ two-word verbs

Informal: The balloon was blown up for the

experiment.
Formal: The balloon was inflated for the experiment.
Informal: The patient got over his illness.
Formal: The patient recovered from his illness.
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3. Avoid using colloquial words and expressions

Informal: The mob was very rowdy during the protest

against cuts to university funding.
Formal: The crowd was very rowdy during the
protest against the cuts to university funding.
Informal: It was raining cats and dogs.
Formal: It was raining very heavily.
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4. Avoid using first person pronouns (I, me, we, us)

Informal: During the interview, I asked students

about their experiences.
Formal: During the interview, students were asked
about their experiences.
Informal: We believe the practice is unsustainable.
Formal: It is believed the practice is unsustainable.
Note: A reader will normally assume that any idea not referenced is your own. It is, therefore,
unnecessary to make this explicit.
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5. It must be objective

Informal: We don’t really know what language

proficiency is, but many people have talked about it for
a long time. Some researchers have tried to find ways
for us to make teaching and testing more
communicative because that is how language works. I
think that language is something we use for
communicating, not an object for us to study and we
remember that when we teach and test it.
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5. It must be objective
Formal: The question of what constitutes “language proficiency”
and the nature of its cross-lingual dimensions is also at the core
of many hotly debated issues in the areas of bilingual education
and second language pedagogy and testing. Research have
suggested ways of making second language teaching and
testing more “communicative” (e.g., Canale and Swain, 1980;
Oller, 1979b) on the grounds that a communicative approach
better reflects the nature of language proficiency than one
which emphasizes the acquisition of discrete language skills.
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5. It must be objective

Note: Academic Text is, in general, objective rather than

personal. It, therefore, has fewer words that refer to the writer or
the reader. This means that the main emphasis should be on the
information that you want to give and the arguments you want to
make, rather than you. For that reason, academic writing tends
to use nouns (and adjectives), rather than verbs (and adverbs).
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6. Acronyms

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

ANZAC Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
QANTAS Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial
Services
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7. Initialisms
UTS University of Technology Sydney
ISO International Standards Organization
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation

Note: The first time an acronym or initialism is used in an essay, it is

acceptable to write the name in full with the acronym or initialism in brackets
after it. Every subsequent time it is used the acronym or initialism can be used
on its own. Commonly known acronyms do not need to be written in full. If an
acronym or initialism needs to be made into a plural, add a small ‘s’ to it
without an apostrophe.
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8. Use hedging or cautious language to tone
down author’s claims
Here are some examples of hedging expressions used in academic texts.
Examples As used in the
sentence
Modal auxiliary May, might, can, The measure might
Verbs could, would, have negative
should effects on the
patient’s health.
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Modal lexical To seem, to appear The discussion

Verbs doubting and (epistemic verbs), to appears to have a
evaluating rather believe, to assume, positive
than merely to suggest, to implication.
describing estimate, to tend, to
think, to argue, to
indicate, to propose,
to speculate
Probability Possible, probable, A number of
Adjectives un/likely significant changes
are possible.
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Nouns Assumption, claim, There are a number

possibility, of claims pertaining
estimate, possibility of
suggestion divorce.
Adverbs Perhaps, possibly, The proposal is
probably, practically an
practically, likely, answer to the
presumably, confusion.
virtually,
apparently
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Indicators of Approximately, Fever is present in

degree, quantity, roughly, about, about a third of
frequency and time often, occasionally, cases.
generally, usually,
somewhat,
somehow, a lot of
Introductory Believe, to our The committee
phrases knowledge, it is our believes that the
view that, we feel issue needs to be
that explored.
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“if” clause If true, if anything If anything, the

opinion holds a
number of truths.
Compound hedges Double hedges: This probably
seems reasonable, indicates that the
looks probable; it assigned personnel
may suggest that; it is misinformed.
seems likely that; it
would indicate that;
this probably
indicates
Treble hedges: it
seems reasonable to
assume that
Quadruple hedges:
It would seem
somewhat unlikely
that, it may appear
somewhat
speculative
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8. Use hedging or cautious language to tone
down author’s claims
Note: In any kind of academic writing you do, it is necessary to
make decisions about your stance on a particular subject or the
strength of the claims you are making. Different subjects prefer
to do this in different ways. A technique common in certain kinds
of academic writing is known by linguists as a “hedge.” It is often
believed that academic writing, particularly scientific writing, is
factual, simply to convey facts and information. However, it is
now recognized that an important feature of academic writing is
the concept of cautious language, often called “hedging” or
“vague language.
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Quiz 1: Language Used

in Academic Text
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TRUE or FALSE

Directions: Read the statements carefully. Write TRUE if the

statement is correct or FALSE if it is not. STRICTLY NO
ERASURES!
1. Depending on its purpose, language can be formal or informal.
2. Informal language if for casual conversation.
3. Writers can use contractions and colloquialisms in their
academic writing.
4. In general, academic text is personal rather than objective.
5. A writer must use formal language in writing academic essay.
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TRUE or FALSE

6. The words such as haven’t, you’re and could’ve are examples

of acronyms.
7. The colloquial words are the denotative words found in the
dictionary.
8. Hedges are used to express absolute certainty of a stance.
9. Grammar is one of the elements that need to be properly
observed in an academic writing.
10. There are five properties of a well-written text.
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Activity 1: Academic
Text vs Non-
Academic Text
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Make an infographic that presents the following:

✓ The definition of Academic Text and Non-Academic Text
✓ Characteristics (give not less than five each)
✓ Examples (give at least five each)

✓ Use long bond paper

✓ Write the title, your full name, section & set, and the date of
submission
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