EAP VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Using Academic Words

English for Academic Purposes

Vocabulary Development Task:
Using the Academic Word List 7

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Section 1: Reading Comprehension

A. Read the article below and insert the following words

in the appropriate gap
involve preclude implications culture recent global

found sufficient communication empirical similarly

crucial years international insights consequence

redundant comprises

KEY CONCEPTS IN ELT

English as a lingua franca
Barbara Seidlhofer
In recent (________), the term ‘English as a lingua franca’ (ELF) has emerged as a
way of referring to communication in English between speakers with different first
languages. Since roughly only one out of every four users of English in the world is a
native speaker of the language (Crystal 2003), most ELF interactions take place
among ‘non-native’ speakers of English. Although this does not (________) the
participation of English native speakers in ELF interaction, what is distinctive about
ELF is that, in most cases, it is ‘a ‘contact language’ between persons who share
neither a common native tongue nor a common (national) (________), and for whom
English is the chosen foreign language of communication’ (Firth 1996:
240).

Defined in this way, ELF is part of the more general phenomenon of ‘English as an
international language’ (EIL) or ‘World Englishes’. (For comprehensive overviews,
see Jenkins 2003; McArthur 1998; Melchers and Shaw 2003.) EIL, along with
‘English as a (________) language’ (e.g. Crystal 2003; Gnutzmann 1999), ‘English
as a world language’ (e.g. Mair 2003) and ‘World English’ (Brutt-Griffler 2002) have
for some time been used as general cover terms for uses of English spanning Inner
Circle, Outer Circle, and Expanding Circle contexts (Kachru 1992). The traditional
meaning of EIL thus (________) uses of English within and across Kachru’s ‘Circles’,
for intranational as well as international communication. However, when English is
chosen as the means of (________) among people from different first language
backgrounds, across linguacultural boundaries, the preferred term is ‘English as a
lingua franca’ (House 1999; Seidlhofer 2001), although the terms ‘English as a
medium of intercultural communication’ (Meierkord 1996), and, in this more specific
and more (________) meaning, ‘English as an international language ’ (Jenkins
2000), are also used.

Despite being welcomed by some and deplored by others, it cannot be denied that
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English functions as a global lingua franca. However, what has so far tended to be
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denied is that, as a (________) of its international use, English is being shaped at

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 EAP VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Using Academic Words

least as much by its non-native speakers as by its native speakers. This has led to a
somewhat paradoxical situation: on the one hand, for the majority of its users,
English is a foreign language, and the vast majority of verbal exchanges in English
do not (________) any native speakers of the language at all. On the other hand,
there is still a tendency for native speakers to be regarded as custodians over what
is acceptable usage. Thus, in order for the concept of ELF to gain acceptance
alongside English as native language,there have been calls for the systematic study
of the nature of ELF—whatit looks and sounds like and how people actually use it
and make itwork—and a consideration of the (________) for the teaching and
learning of the language.

(________) work on the linguistic description of ELF at a number of levels has in fact
been under way for several years now. Research has been carried out at the level of
phonology (Jenkins 2000), pragmatics (Meierkord 1996), and lexicogrammar
(Seidlhofer 2004, which also offers an overview of descriptive work to date). ELF
corpora are now also being compiled and analysed, such as the English as a lingua
franca in Academic settings (ELFA) corpus (Mauranen 2003) and the general
Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE) (Seidlhofer 2004). While
space prevents summarizing the findings of this research here, two illustrative
examples can be mentioned. Thus, Jenkins (2000) (________) that being able to
pronounce some sounds that are often regarded as ‘particularly English’ but also
particularly difficult, namely the ‘th’ sounds /u/ and /D/ and the ‘dark l’ allophone [ł], is
not necessary for international intelligibility through ELF. (________), analyses of
ELF interactions captured in the VOICE corpus clearly show that although ELF
speakers often do not use the third person singular present tense ‘-s’ marking in their
verbs, this does not lead to any misunderstandings or communication problems.

This gradually accumulating body of work is leading to a better understanding of the

nature of ELF, which in turn is a prerequisite for taking informed decisions, especially
in language policy and language teaching (McKay 2002). Thus, the features of
English which tend to be crucial for international intelligibility and therefore need to
be taught for production and reception are being distinguished from the (‘non-native’)
features that tend not to cause misunderstandings and thus do not need to constitute
a focus for production teaching for those learners who intend to use English mainly
in (________) settings. Acting on these (________) can free up valuable teaching
time for more general language awareness and communication strategies; these
may have more ‘mileage’ for learners than striving for mastery of fine nuances of
nativespeaker language use that are communicatively (________) or even
counter-productive in lingua franca settings, and which may anyway not be
teachable in advance, but only learnable by subsequent experience of the language.
It should be stressed, however, that linguistic descriptions alone cannot, of course,
determine what needs to be taught and learnt for particular purposes and in
particular settings—they provide necessary but not (________) guidance for what
will always be pedagogical decisions
(Widdowson 2003).
ELT Journal Volume 59/4 October 2005; doi:10.1093/elt/cci064
qThe Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
Downloaded from eltj.oxfordjournals.org at University of Southampton on August 24, 2010
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B. Match the following key, academic nouns to their

corresponding dictionary definitions:

Communication an idea of something

that exists

Interaction an event or situation

that can be seen to
happen or exist

Participation the detailed study of

something in order to
discover new facts,
especially in a university
or scientific institution

Phenomenon the process of speaking

or writing to someone to
exchange information or
ideas

Function an important part or

aspect of something

Concept a set of plans or actions

agreed on by a
government, political
party, business, or other
group

Research the process by which

different things affect
each other or change
each other

Policy to work or operate in a

particular way

Feature the process or action of

taking part in something

Sources: http://oxforddictionaries.com/?attempted=true and

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/)
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Section 2: Using Verbs

A. Complete the word table by converting the verbs

into nouns and vice-versa. Use the examples and
some language resources to guide you.
Remember: some words are the same in both their
noun and verb form e.g. monitor (I monitor the
class; that is a monitor)

Verb Noun
e.g. emerge e.g. emergence

e.g. begin e.g. beginning

e.g. constitute e.g. constitution

Imply

Interaction

Illustrate

Participation

Define

Function

Feature

Concept/Conception

Expand

Stress

Compile

Analysis

Deny
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B. Which of the following sentences makes correct

use of the underlined verb? (Dictionary use is
allowed)

i. „have emerged‟

 New evidence has emerged to support the notion that non-native

speakers of English are increasingly opting to study the language
through immersion.
 The two global largest global telecommunications companies have
emerged to form one giant, multilateral conglomerate.
 The Thai student has emerged himself enough into English student-
culture to cultivate an understanding and fluency of the language.

ii. „define‟

 Jaime Oliver chopped and defined the onions in order to put them into
his new recipe for asparagus soup.
 Fortune-tellers try to see into the future to define things that have not
yet happened.
 Students of EAP prefer to use electronic and online translators to
define unknown words rather than traditional dictionaries and
reference books.

iii. „deny‟

 EFL and EAP students often deny to use essential language resources
such as grammar reference books and dictionaries, preferring to use
online learning objects and subject specific readings.
 It has been suggested by forensic psychologists that most criminals
would deny having committed a crime when first accused.
 Multilateral, clothing corporations often deny on the availability of
either cheap labour, cheap raw materials, or both.

iv. „compile‟

 After the department‟s general meeting, the secretary compiled a list

of essential project offers and management targets that had been
identified and discussed.
 When dealing with conflictive persons in the workplace, it is essential
that managers possess the ability to compile themselves before
attempting to resolve any situation.
 It has been suggested that promoting a communicative and flexible
working environment is key to reducing the number of staff who
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officially compile on a regular basis.

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 EAP VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Using Academic Words

v. „analyse‟

 Research into wave patterns on the Southern English Coastline have

revealed that ocean tides frequently analyse certain pressure points at
different times of year.
 Candidates for post-graduate courses in linguistics and cultural
studies are selected for their ability to research, analyse and be
self-reflective.
 European and US governments recommend 30 minutes of
analysing each day, in order to keep fit and healthy and protect
ourselves against heart disease.

vi. „stress‟

 Parasitic insect bites can often be very irritating, and it is very

tempting to stress them a little, which will only make them worse.
 A student on a full-time course should not aim to work more than 20
hours a week, so that they do not stress themselves too thin.
 The G20 demonstrations and protests were criticized for being violent
and graphic, but the organisers insisted that this was necessary to
stress the importance and gravity of climate change.

Section 3: Using Synonyms and Writing Academically

A. Replace the underlined word in bold with a

synonym (or phrase that means the same thing) of
your choice. The sentence should still have the same
meaning. Remember to use the context of the article!
Use a thesaurus or dictionary to check your answers.

i. “…What is distinctive about EFL is that, in most cases, it

is a „contact language‟ …”

ii. “The traditional meaning of EIL thus comprises uses of English within and
across Kachru‟s „Circles‟…”

iii. “This has lead to a somewhat paradoxical situation…”

iv. “…for the majority of its users, English is a foreign language…”

v. “Whilst space prevents summarizing the findings of this research here, two
illustrative examples can be mentioned.”

vi. “Thus, the features of English which tend to be crucial for international
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intelligibility…”
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 EAP VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Using Academic Words

vii. “…which may not be teachable in advance, but only learnable by

subsequent experience of the language”

B. Paraphrase the following excerpts from the article

above in the space provided:

i. Although this does not preclude the participation of English

native speakers in ELF interaction, what is distinctive about
ELF is that, in most cases, it is „a „contact language‟ between
persons who share neither a common native tongue nor a
common (national) culture, and for whom English is the chosen foreign
language of communication‟ (Firth 1996: 240).
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

ii. This has led to a somewhat paradoxical situation: on the one hand, for the
majority of its users, English is a foreign language, and the vast majority of
verbal exchanges in English do not involve any native speakers of the
language at all.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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iii. Similarly, analyses of ELF interactions captured in the VOICE corpus

clearly show that although ELF speakers often do not use the third person
singular present tense „-s‟ marking in their verbs, this does not lead to any
misunderstandings or communication problems.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

iv. Thus, the features of English which tend to be crucial for international
intelligibility and therefore need to be taught for production and reception are
being distinguished from the („non-native‟) features that tend not to cause
misunderstandings and thus do not need to constitute a focus for production
teaching for those learners who intend to use English mainly in international
settings.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

C. Find the synonyms used within the text to express the following
ideas:

i. the latest and more narrow definition (paragraph 2)

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ii. in spite of the face that they were… (paragraph 3)

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iii. I am unable to sum up in a few words due to the length of this article…
(paragraph 4)
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iv. This ever-increasing collection of research… (paragraph 5)

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v. …they do not need to make up the main objective… (paragraph 5)

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vi. methods and plans to improve and practice communication… (paragraph 5)

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D. Summarize the last two paragraphs of “English as a Lingua Franca” in

100-130 words in the space provided:
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