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Scholarly work often involves learning new words. You know this right? Sometimes it even seems that in order to be considered a scholar you have to speak in words no one else can understand.<\/p>\n
Well that\u2019s the stereotype.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s try to unpack this a bit. What words do you need to learn, why and how?<\/p>\n
Each discipline has a dedicated terminology<\/strong><\/p>\n An example. If you study Chemistry then words like composition, structure, properties, behaviour, reactions, bonding and so on are a very basic lingua franca. Most non-chemists have a good chance of understanding what these terms mean, as they have not entirely dissimilar meanings outside of the discipline. But when you get further into Chemistry, say you\u2019re doing a PhD, you\u2019ll possibly be saying things like \u2013 electrostatic self-assembly, electron micro probe analysis, enantioselective rhodium-catalysed coupling reaction, supercritical carbon dioxide\u2026<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know what any of these terms mean by the way. But I know that they are associated with research done by my colleagues. And I know that these terms just trip off their tongues and\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0all understand each other, even if I don\u2019t have a clue what they\u2019re on about. Fortunately, most of them are also able to explain these ideas in plainer language to non-Chemistry types like me. But it\u2019s obviously important if you\u2019re a Chemistry researcher to get on top of this kind of advanced terminology and the various and very specific practices and phenomena that they describe.<\/p>\n And the same goes for every discipline. Whether you\u2019re doing a PhD in English, Politics or Veterinary Science, there will be a whole lot of new words and concepts for you to acquire. They have particular meanings that other people in your discipline understand. You can conduct an \u2018insider\u2019 conversation in the scholarly community using this technical disciplinary lingo.<\/p>\n Each research practice also has its own terminology<\/strong><\/p>\n Researching also has a lot of terms that you don\u2019t use regularly in everyday conversation \u2013 like epistemology for example. You don\u2019t bowl up to your seldom-seen aunty and say \u201cWhat\u2019s your epistemological position?\u201d However, you might very well have a conversation with another PhDer, or your supervisor, where you do talk about epistemology in exactly this way.<\/p>\n And specific types of research use particular words which flag up what they stand for. A \u201cpost-positivist\u201d might talk about \u201cvalidity\u201d to signal their understandings of \u2018truth\u2019, and research methods that arrive at \u2018truth\u2019.\u00a0On the other hand, a \u201cpost-structurally informed\u201d researcher might use the term \u201ctrustworthiness\u201d to talk about the status of the knowledge that they have produced and the process they used. Examiners and colleagues reading a text know where someone stands epistemologically by the specific words that they use.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to take note of such specific research terms.You need to get on top of them even if you never use them anywhere but in conversation with other academics. They represent our \u2018tools of the trade\u2019. During your PhD you\u2019ll need to understand them in order to be able to make choices about which of them to use. You may also need to be able to translate researcher-talk into plain language in order to discuss your work in other contexts. Like with your seldom-seen aunty.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s another kind of word use you also need to get familiar with.<\/p>\n Academic writing also often uses particular kinds of language<\/strong><\/p>\n Over time, we scholars have developed a collective vocabulary for what we do, a lexicon for our collective \u2018rhetorical practices\u2019. We\u00a0discuss, investigate, categorise, argue, frame, predict<\/em>\u00a0and so on. We don\u2019t start and end something, we\u00a0introduce<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0conclude<\/em>. We\u00a0cite, state<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0suggest<\/em>. We often\u00a0compare<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0contrast<\/em>, we\u00a0further<\/em>\u00a0an idea, we\u00a0infer, deduce, calculate\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0make an original contribution.<\/em><\/p>\n Different disciplines often have their own rhetorical twists too. Some disciplines are fonder of\u00a0describing<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0showing<\/em>\u00a0for example than\u00a0illustrating<\/em>,\u00a0reporting<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0arguing<\/em>. So you will need to get used to reading them and probably using them.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s important news about the wording of academic writing \u2013 a lot of academic journals expect you to use this verbiage. Most PhD examiners also expect to read prose which uses this kind of language. They take the use of these terms and syntax as a sign that a PhDer has become part of their scholarly community. So you will probably need to adapt your writing to this kind of lexicon and syntax.<\/p>\n But there are two health warnings about both academic words and their usage.<\/p>\n First, it is important to understand that \u2018these more \u2018formal\u2019 ways of talking and writing are conventions. So while terms such as\u00a0frame<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0infer<\/em>\u00a0are common, you\u2019ll see them used quite a bit, it is still possible to write in other ways. However, while you may have a choice about how \u2018formally\u2019 you write, there is much less wiggle room about using the generally agreed terminology for the subject matter you are researching or for how you name your research practice and positionality,<\/p>\n Second, some, if not all, of the discipline-based terms that I use without thinking are strongly culturally located. What you can see and say is always limited by the language available to you. So it may be the case that, depending on what you are researching, terms from other languages, places and times are a helpful addition \u2013 or counter \u2013 to the terms usually used for the kind of scholarly work that you do.(I\u2019m constantly on the lookout for non-English disciplinary terms and expressions and ideas that might push my assumptions and learning.)<\/p>\n Why does word knowledge matter? Well\u2026<\/p>\n Academic work is communication and conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n Because you will want to tell other people about your work, otherwise why do it, thinking about words and their use is an integral part of your scholarly work. You will want to use your PhD in a range of ways. You\u2019ll work to \u2018translate\u2019 from formal academic prose loaded with discipline-specific words into different media and genres for different audiences.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want to be stuck for words during a conference presentation, or a talk to the local citizen science group, then continuing to work on words will be part and parcel of what you do as a scholar. It is therefore very helpful to continue to extend your general vocabulary, as well as to deliberately build yourself a solid scholarly lexical repertoire.<\/p>\n So how do you learn new words? No I mean really, how do you consciously set out to extend the words you know and can use appropriately?<\/p>\n Some word-based strategies you might consider<\/strong><\/p>\n Some people swear by\u00a0\u2018word a day\u2019<\/a>\u00a0apps to build general vocabulary and \u201ccheat sheets\u201d of academic\u00a0word lists and word banks.<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019m much less enthusiastic about these than you might think. Not a fan. However, you may want to check these resources out for yourself.<\/p>\n As an educator, I understand the process of building\u00a0your own\u00a0<\/em>academic dictionary as helpful for\u00a0owning<\/em>\u00a0all the words you want and need. I suggest that it\u2019s useful to:<\/p>\n And you may well find other ways to work with the words you need. Let us all know when you do.<\/p>\n The most important thing is not that you adopt one or several of these word strategies, but that you do take on the task of building specific and necessary vocabulary. Your PhD in part depends on your familiarity with and choices of terms and the academic conventions they embody.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n