Excellent Chart Featuring Popular Academic Latin Phrases for Student Researchers

January 8, 2015
In the context of the discussion we started yesterday on the importance of the mastery of academic language in school learning, today I am providing you with this short chart that features some commonly used latin words. This list is particularly useful for college and research students. As you know, academic jargon is peppered with latin words that linguists call "loan terms". I am not sure how these words ended up in academic discourse but it is now a conventional practice to include latin words in scholarly publications and journal articles.

This is a chart that student researchers can keep handy. It will help them better understand the latin terminology whenever they stumble upon it in their readings. I have relied extensively on Google dictionary, Wikipedia  and Merriam Webster to come up with both the definitions and the accompanied examples.

You can access and download the Google Doc version of this chart from this LINK.

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A Very Good Poster on Academic Vocabulary for Students

January 7, 2015
In his popular book " Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling" James Gee argues that the academic language (or variety to use his own terminology) that students are introduced to early on in schools accounts for much of the literacy problems facing them. According to Gee, the fourth grade slump is a direct result of the transition from learning to read (phonetic and phonemic awareness) to reading to learn. The reading development of some kids , especially those coming from a lower socioeconomic environment, is slow due mainly to the problem of language. Even adults in higher education have problems with academic language, or to be more specific with the writing of academic language.

 One way to help students overcome this linguistic problem is by getting them to extensively practice academic language both in written and oral form. Identifying complex and commonly used  academic words and phrases and explicitly explaining them to students is also helpful in this direction. In an earlier post I shared here, I featured a list of some useful academic phrases endemic to research papers and scholarly publications that student researchers can use in their writings. Today, I am sharing with you another equally important list of academic vocabulary compiled by Jim Burke. This list is available in both students version ( can be used as poster in class) and teachers version. You can access and download the list from this link.

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