DIFFERENTIATING

LANGUAGE USED IN
VARIOUS ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
Prepared by: Ma’am Charmaine D. Santos
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. define academic writing;
2. differentiate language in academic text from
various discipline;
3. identify the purpose, language, audience and style
of academic text; and
4. write a specific academic text with correct usage
of language.

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 ACADEMIC TEXT VS. NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
ACADEMIC TEXT NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
are to be written according to Informal in tone and may
an established structure even rely more heavily on
which may differ depending emotional appeal of the
on the subject. opinions of the author.
It uses formal language and It uses informal or colloquial
follows certain rules and words.
standards.

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 ACADEMIC TEXT VS. NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
ACADEMIC TEXT NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
> Essay
> Journal- > Diary
conference/academic > Invitation letter
> Reaction paper > Fiction stories
> Research paper > bibliography
> Biography
> science writing

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 ACADEMIC TEXT VS. NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
Characteristics Academic Text Non-academic Text

Audience Scholarly Audience Public

Purpose To inform To entertain

Structure Intro-Body-Conclusion No fixed structure

Language Formal Contain slang and

colloquial
Style Objective Subjective

Source of Content Related literature Everyday events

Examples Research paper, skits, fiction stories

reports

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 ACADEMIC TEXT VS. NON-ACADEMIC TEXT

both academic and non-

academic texts are required to
be original work and could be
used in school setting.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
1. IMRaD-is a way of structuring
a scientific article.
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
INTRODUCTION
> use the introduction to show that you
are knowledgeable about your field
of study and existing research.
> to make research interesting to
others it must be placed in a larger
context.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
INTRODUCTION
> should be shaped like a funnel-
general to specific topic.
> should start with something
that your reader can relate to.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
METHODS
> Should show the reader exactly how
the research was conducted ( what
you’ve done to be able to fulfill your
aim and answer your thesis question )
> Your reader should understand how
you got the results you did.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
RESULTS
> You should account for your results
in an objective manner without
interpreting them.
> Use illustrations such as tables and
charts when presenting your results.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
RESULTS
> The illustrations should be linked to
your text but you should not repeat all
the information provided in the chart.
> Account for the most important
aspects.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
DISCUSSION
> Part in which you interpret your
results.
> Part that takes longest to write.
All parts of your discussion should
focus on the analysis of your results.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE
> the reader will be introduced to
the topic that will be discussed
and to the argument that will be
presented.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE
Introduction
➢ Get the reader’s attention
➢ Provides necessary background
information.
➢ Provides specific debatable thesis
statement

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE
BODY
> where the essay’s or articles argument, ideas and
results are developed and discussed.
> helps you prove your thesis and move you along a
compelling trajectory from your introduction to your
conclusion.

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 Structure of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE
CONCLUSION
> is the last paragraph of your essay.
> It should not contain any new facts or ideas, but
rather function as a brief restatement of the main
arguments and facts that have been treated in the
essay.

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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
1. COMPLEX
- Written language has
longer words. It is lexically
denser and it has a more
varied vocabulary.

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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. FORMAL
- should avoid colloquial words and expressions.
- think about the tone of your writing.

Example:

instead of “This back ups…” it should be

“This supports…”

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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
3. PRECISE
- facts are given
accurately and
precisely.
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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
4. ACCURATE

- uses vocabulary accurately.

- most subjects have words
with narrow specific
meanings.
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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
5. OBJECTIVE
- objective rather than personal
- has fewer words that refer to the
writer or the reader
- main emphasis should be on the
information that you want to give and
the arguments you want to make.

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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
6. EXPLICIT
- it is the responsibility of
the writer in English to make
it clear to the reader how the
various parts of the text are
related.
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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
7. HEDGING
- it is necessary to make decisions about your
stand on a particular subject, or the strength
of the claims you are making but be careful in
making a strong claims.
Example:
“This proves….” it should be “It could be
suggested..”

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 FEATURES of ACADEMIC TEXT
8. RESPONSIBLE

- you must be responsible and must

able to provide evidence and
justification for any claims you make.
- you are also responsible for
demonstrating an understanding of any
source texts you use.

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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
1. Subject/focus
- what is the text
all about?
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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
2. Purpose
- what is the writer’s
goal in writing the text?

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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
3. Audience
- who is the target
reader of the text?
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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
4. Point of view
- what is the point of view?
( first person, second
person, third person)
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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
5. Writer’s knowledge
- how much does the
writer know the subject?

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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
6. Style
- How did the writer
organize the text?
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 ELEMENTS of ACADEMIC TEXT
7. Tone
- Did the writer write in a formal or
informal manner? How did the writer
choose the words and organize the
sentences? Was the language formal,
informal or casual?
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