ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
THE DEFINITIONS
is used to describe things
that relate to the work
means relating to
done in schools, colleges, a person's work
and universities, or expertise,
especially work which
involves studying and especially work
reasoning rather than that requires
practical or technical
skills. special training.

ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL
English for Academic and
Professional Purposes nurtures
students with the academic
language skills necessary for
successful college studies in all
disciplines while giving them
access to degree programs.
Language of Academic Text
from Various Disciplines
 THINGS TO DISCUSS:
ACADEMIC & NON-
ACADEMIC TEXTS
TYPES, EXAMPLES, AND
DIFFERENCES OF ACADEMIC
AND ON-ACADEMIC TEXTS
CHARACTERISTICS OF
ACADEMIC AND NON-
ACADEMIC TEXTS
A REVIEW OF
THE TERMS
WHAT IS A TEXT?
Text defined…
❑ is a large unit of a written
work.
❑a group of ideas put together
to make a point or one
central idea.
❑An actually connected
discourse.
WHAT IS A DISCOURSE?
Discourse defined…
❑ it is a formal and often lengthy
discussion of a topic, where
concepts and insights are
arranged in an organized and
logical manner.
❑It can be an utterance, talk,
speech, discussion, conversation,
or even text.
Definition of Academic
Text
Academic text defined…
➢They are critical, objective and
specialized texts that are written
by professionals or experts in a
particular field.
➢They are written in formal language
and has a formal style and tone.
Since these are objective texts, they
are based on facts.
➢They rely far more
formally on research-
based, factual and
verifiable materials
for their content.
It utilizes Academic
Language.
Academic language defined…
➢It represents the language demands of
school (academics). Academic language
includes language used in textbooks, in
classrooms, on tests, and in each discipline.
➢It is different in vocabulary and
structure from the everyday spoken
English of social interactions.
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE VS.
SOCIAL LANGUAGE
It is the vocabulary It is the simple, informal
language we use when
students or adults talking face to face with
must learn to family members and
succeed in the friends. It allows us to
classroom or in use contemporary or
slang terms like “cool,”
the workplace. “awesome,” or “dude.”

Academic Social
 Characteristics of
Academic Language
FORMAL
✓It should not be conversational
and casual.
✓Avoid colloquial and idiomatic
expressions, slang, and
contractions.
The SHS Honorians are not cappin when it
comes to their goated drip. That absolute
sigma grindset for their academics has got
to be rewarded with their insane rizz-
spewing, Ohio-crushing, skibidi-bopping
level of drip. Lowkey, other uni’s be
claiming that they have the bussing set of
drip, but Honorians clapped back saying,
“Nah, I’d win”.
Examples:
❖ Dude, like, I am so in cloud nine
right now!
❖ My Physics teacher is the GOAT!
❖ Don’t mess with that guy. He’s
sus.
IMPERSONAL
✓Do not refer to yourself as the performer of
actions. Do not use personal pronouns.
For example:
“It is commonly said that”… instead of “Many of
my friends and colleagues say that…”
“Research revealed that…” instead of “I discovered
that”
PRECISE
✓The facts are presented
accurately. The choice of words
are appropriate. The use of
technical terms to achieve
precision is applied.
Examples:
❖The pi symbol (π) denotes the
number 3.14159 (and so on).
❖The pi symbol (π) means 3
something… something…
OBJECTIVE
✓It is unbiased, based on facts and is
not influenced by personal feelings.
For example:
“The essay on Reading and Writing is
distressing.” instead of “I do not like the
essay”
Evidence-based Arguments/Citations
What is valued in an academic text is
that opinions are based on a sound
understanding of the pertinent body
of knowledge and academic debates
that exist within, and often external
to a specific discipline.
Examples of Academic
Texts
1. Textbooks
➢These are specifically
designed to help the learners
for specific subjects or
disciplines. They have highly
set languages depending on
the discipline to which the
textbooks will be used for.
2. Essays
➢Essays usually help
you show how deep
you have learned a
topic or lesson. They
usually need to
include citations of
sources
3. Theses
You will probably have
to write longer texts
when and if you decide
to enroll in a post
graduate course in the
future
4. Research Articles
Research articles are
written mainly for a
specialist audience,
meaning other
researchers,
academics and
postgraduate students.
5. Case Studies
➢These may be found in any
discipline, though they are
most common in disciplines
such as humanities, example
business, sociology, and law.
They are descriptive and in-
depth studies into the lives of
particular individuals.
6. Reports
The purpose of reports is to
describe what happened
and discuss and evaluate its
importance.
Reports are found in
different disciplines, such as
science, law, and medicine.
DEFINITIONS OF NON-
ACADEMIC TEXT
Non-Academic text defined…
➢Non-academic texts include
writings that are informal and
dedicated to a lay audience.
➢Non-academic articles are written
for the widespread public. They
are published rapidly and can be
written by anyone.
Non-academic texts may
also include research or
verifiable material but
are less likely to include
references to any source
material and may be
published in a rather
informal setting.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
❑Less formal (may contain idioms,
slangs, contractions)
❑Casual language
❑Use any point of view
❑Opinion-based
❑Free of rigid structures
❑On general topics
EXAMPLES OF NON-
ACADEMIC TEXT
1. Emails
➢Simple and informal. They
are sent or received over a
computer network and can
be sent to multiple
recipients and carry
multiple attachments at the
same time.
2. Newspapers
➢ A publication and form of
mass communication and
mass media usually issued
daily, weekly, or at other
regular times that provides
news, views, features, and
other information of public
interest.
3. Magazines
➢is another kind of
non-academic text
which is usually
used for leisure
time.
4. Blogs or Social Media
posts
➢Blogs or social media
contents can add more
ideas about a particular
thing but it’s not good to be
a source of research, like for
a thesis, except if your topic
is about social media.
Differences of Academic and Non-
Academic Texts
SIMILARITIES
✓Both texts may be written with the goal
to persuade, to entertain, or to inform.
✓Academic and non-academic texts are
both written for a particular audience.
✓Both texts may be found in print,
periodical, and digital forms.
 Audience
Style
Subject/Content
Purpose Audience
Style
Purpose
Shared historical Personal,
Inform
events the
or Personal
Inform, life
entertain
Formal and impressionistic,
Academia
literature
readers other or
orwith Mass
and Public
persuade
everyday
emotional or
the
impersonal
forms of readers
solid evidence
knowledge events
subjective
Academic Non-academic