Academic language represents the complex components of the English language that are required for success in academic discourse. In vocabulary and structure, it is quite different from the social English that we use in normal conversations. Mainly composed of Latinate and Greek word construction, academic language is the primary hindrance to the comprehension of school texts and lectures. Therefore, poor academic language skills are the root of low academic performance.
To combat poor academic language skills, students will require instruction in the following key areas of academic language development:
- Vocabulary-knowledge of the forms and meanings of words
- Grammar-knowledge of the grammatical rules that govern usage
- Sentence Structure-using words to convey simple and complex thoughts
- Latinate Word Construction-prefixes, roots, connectives, suffixes
- Greek Word Construction-combining forms (roots) and the connective "o"
- Sociolinguistics-the ability to vary language appropriately
- Critical Thinking Skills-the ability to analyze, compare and contrast, etc.
- Language Awareness-knowledge of academic writing structure
- Study Skills-how to review, test preparation, etc.
- Learning Styles-what methods, approaches, and teaching strategies allow us to maximize our educational experience
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