Walter E. Dunson, Jr., Ph.D.

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 word construction (55%), Anglo-Saxon word construction (25%), and Greek word construction (11%), academic language is the primary hindrance to the comprehension of texts and lectures.  Therefore, poor academic language skills are primarily 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, assimilated prefixes, roots, connectives, suffixes

• Greek Word Construction-combining forms (Greek roots) and the connective "o"

• Critical Thinking Skills-the ability to analyze, compare and contrast, etc.

• Language Awareness-knowledge of academic writing structure to aid reading comprehension or the ability to revise and self-edit writing

• Study Skills-how to review, test preparation, etc.

• Learning Styles-what methods, approaches, and teaching strategies allow them to maximize their educational experience