When learners have mastered the 2,000–3,000 high-frequency words of general usefulness in English, it is wise to direct vocabulary learning to more specialised areas, depending on the aims of the learners. First, it is possible to specialise by learning the shared vocabulary of several fields of study, for example academic vocabulary. Next the specialised vocabulary of one particular field or part of that field can be studied. Because many courses focus on learners who will do academic study in English, we will look first at academic vocabulary.

What is academic vocabulary?

Academic vocabulary is variously known as ‘generally useful scientific vocabulary’ (Barber, 1962), ‘sub-technical vocabulary’ (Anderson, 1980; Cowan, 1974; Yang, 1986), ‘semi-technical vocabulary’ (Farrell, 1990), ‘specialised non-technical lexis’ (Cohen et al., 1988), ‘frame words’ (Higgins, 1966), and ‘academic vocabulary’ (Coxhead, 2000; Martin, 1976). The division of the vocabulary of academic texts into three levels of general service, or basic vocabulary, sub-technical vocabulary and technical vocabulary, is a commonly made distinction (although it ignores mid-frequency and low-frequency vocabulary which has no technical or sub-technical features). Dresher (1934) made such a three-part distinction when looking at mathematics vocabulary for native speakers. Other writers have independently made a similar distinction. Typically, academic vocabulary lists include words like accumulate, achieve, compound, complex and proportion which are common in academic texts and not so common elsewhere.