Academic Language and Tone

Maintain a formal, academic tone throughout your argument. Objective

The Academic Audience Has an elevated vocabulary Can differentiate between logic and logical fallacy Cares about conventions Expects you to connect your ideas to your thesis The Academic Audience

The Dos… Do: Use specific vocabulary Use precise vocabulary Avoid words like “thing” or “stuff” Use precise vocabulary If you can communicate something in 1 word instead of 5, do it. Refer to “Simplicity” by Zinsser, keeping in mind that he is talking about clear and concise sentences, not about simple thought. Focus on logos over pathos The Dos…

Avoid… Loaded words, glittering generalities, false analogies, etc. Loaded words are words that have either a strongly negative or positive connotation Immigrant vs. Invader War vs. Military Action Revolution vs. Coup Stick to the more neutral terms; make your point with your evidence and logic. Avoid…

Glittering Generalities are words that seem to have great meaning, but actually have no substance in the context they are used. American – calling an action “the American thing to do” Science – “Science has shown that…” [if you say this, you better follow it up with a peer reviewed and recent scientific study.] A better way to approach this is: “A study recently published in Science suggests…” Avoid

Avoid Divisive Rhetoric Leftist, NeoCon Reducing complex positions to simple right/wrong or good/bad dichotomies Avoid

1st person You may use it, but you have to be careful with your approach For example, get rid of all of the following: In my opinion; I think; I believe; It is my understanding that; My position is; etc. These phrases significantly weaken your writing. You are the author, so they are implied. Can be useful if you are using anecdotes or personally conducted interviews as support or if you are referring to communities of which you are a part. For example, “As students, we have a responsibility to advocate for the issues that impact our education. I conducted an interview of my peers and discovered that only 40 percent feel as though their perspectives are considered....” Point of View

3rd person The most formal and widely accepted point of view for academic writing Creates a perceived gap between the author as an individual and the argument being made. Eliminates trouble phrases such as “I believe…”, though you can still fall into the trap of “Most people believe…” Uses 3rd person pronouns and general subjects such as one, people, the community, Americans, etc. Point of View

2nd person “You” Don’t use it. Go through your paper and cross out every instance of “you” or “your” including “yourself” and “yours”. 2nd Person is not necessarily bad, but it is often used to support weak sentence composition and is too heavily relied upon because it is easier (not because it is better or appropriate). When is 2nd person appropriate? When you are speaking directly to your audience. Point of View