The Dominance of English in Academic Discourse: Singapore Context

This essay critically examines the dominance of English in academic discourse, focusing on its impact on students and academics in Singapore. The paper begins by defining academic discourse and differentiating it from other forms of communication. It then explores how academic discourse influences education, knowledge construction, and academic reputation. The essay further analyzes the role of the English language in addressing educational challenges, promoting knowledge acquisition, and shaping academic identities, particularly within the context of Singapore's multilingual environment. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of English as the academic lingua franca for various groups, including local and international students, and how it affects their access to information, career opportunities, and overall academic success. The author supports arguments with examples, highlighting the importance of English proficiency in navigating the academic landscape and achieving educational goals, while also acknowledging the potential obstacles faced by those less proficient in the language.

Running head: IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH
IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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The paper intends to dive into the importance of English language in the academic
discourse for solving issues in different fields that are usually faced by students in learning
things. The paper is segmented into three different parts where the first part concentrates on
the term “academic discourse” itself. The term in general is explained at the first part with
justification of how it is different from that of other discourses. The second part analyzes how
academic discourse is helpful in solving the issues regarding education, knowledge
construction and academic reputation while the third part focuses on the role of English
language in order to resolve the problems generated in these above mentioned three fields as
faced by students. Therefore, the essay, depending on the theme of academic discourse aims
to dig out the possible remedies that can be suggested to get to the bottom of the problems.
Academic discourse is a must learning skill for every student that helps them in
acquiring the knowledge of presenting dialogues through which a skilled communication can
be delivered from the perspective of a student to the other end in a particular classroom
(Chubarova & Rezepova, 2016). The student who faces problem-based learning can
definitely depend on communication that indicates at a higher level is not only helpful in
solving issues in the classroom but also encourages in establishing a good peer to peer
communication. The academic discourse revolves around teaching and training the students
to communicate in an effective way so that they can apply academic vocabulary in order to
interact with each other in different aspects of life starting from the classroom to workplace.
Academic discourse depends on building up a good listening skill along with debating and
critiquing a topic with analytical mind. However, one important and unavoidable thing
related to academic discourse is that it is not always a natural process that can be easily
acquired by the students so it is a slow and steady process that has to be developed between
the students and the teachers cooperatively in a simultaneous process. The communication
skill is developed through encouraging preservation and learning (Hardjanto, 2016).

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In order to introduce academic discourse in the classroom the students are put into
different problems and questions where they are asked to describe how they could reach the
answer to the problems. The whole process aims at equipping the students with more number
of enriching vocabulary so that their messages can be conveyed properly and they can easily
distinguish between different terms which seem to mean almost similar (Smith et al., 2016).
One thing that can be introduced in the mathematical classes is that the students should be
encouraged to write the whole procedure of reaching the conclusion instead of writing the
answer directly. It not only enhances the quality of the students to describe things with better
choice of vocabulary but also helps them with their interaction in real life.
Hyland has shown in his paper that students face mainly three areas to be problematic
that are promoting knowledge, encouraging education and providing the students with
academic efficiency. It is the sole purpose of the educational institution is to educate and
enlighten the students. A system that is equally supportive for all the students in a similar
way without encouraging and appreciating any sort of discrimination is expected out of any
reputed institution. When the paper is all about academic discourse, it has to be understood
that the students in all the universities are not always equipped with all the facilities that are
desired from a university (Adger, Snow & Christian, 2018). However, there is a possible way
out to estimate and understand how the problems can be solved only through the application
of the academic discourse. As it has been discussed before that the academic discourse
focuses on the interactive power of the students it is clear that the students can be benefited if
the academic discourse is utilized in a proper manner.
Education should reach every student in an optimum way so that the impact of
education is allocated in a desirable manner that nobody is deprived of it. The purpose of
education is providing the students with literacy and giving them the power to read and write
and also to interpret (Gaudelli, 2016). When the students are not aware of what they are

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reading and how they should surround themselves with proper sphere of knowledge, their
knowledge also starts tottering. In order to strengthen the core of knowledge, the students
must participate in vast reading and interactive sessions. Here the academic discourse plays a
vital role in shaping the process of education and knowledge of the student. If the student is
interactive and equipped with more academic vocabulary then he would be at the advantage
of interacting with more number of people while knowing more number of things at a small
stretch. This happens in a faster pace for those who are good with academic discourse than
that of the students who have poor communication skills and not so efficient with academic
discourse. This shows that a student can be at par with the fast moving and fast growing
world if he is good at picking up new things in less time (Burke, 2019). It does not save his
time but also helps in learning more new things utilizing the extra time. The more a student is
equipped with academic discourse, the more he is growing towards choosing the right career
because he might have access through multiple options from where he can choose the ideal
one for him.
Knowledge is a power that emerges from the straight access to the exterior world with
the help of experiments, observations, inductive power and falsifiability. It is true that
students vigorously depend on the inductive method of reasoning in their daily lives because
along with induction comes the chances of probability rather coming up with evidences
where the shift from observations that are derived from the real instances to very generalized
comments regarding unsettles issues, the scientists here come reach uncertainty. There are
certainly some issues that are quite clear that they cannot be resolves because of the lack in
communication (Hyland, 2016). The knowledge that has been perceived and put into practice
cannot be verified because it is not possible for nature to communicate. The issues that take
place in nature are always assumed by the human world in its own way because the
interpretation is that of the humans’ and the whole implementation acts upon assumptions.

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The whole research is conducted under a secure and trustworthy observation base
incorporating theories with them.
There is an advantage in the usage of language because it can never be segregated
from the users no matter what comes in the way. One thing that needs to be kept in mind that
the author who is writing a text to spread knowledge to the readers might find his voice to be
lost under the heaviness of the depth of the understanding of the language however; it is true
that the real motive of the authors is to spread knowledge not to promote themselves
(Mauranen, Hynninen & Ranta, 2016). Academic discourse is clearly responsible for shaping
knowledge within the community it has been revolving around as well as it also helps in
sustaining the authenticity and the stature of the specific community to the outsiders.
Academic discourse also incorporates cultural intricacy that includes high status and morality
associated with it. The students who falter in gathering knowledge in an easy manner must
rely on the unbiased and unperturbed representation of what reality is to them and to the
whole world. This also attracts a good number of students who are thirsty for power and
glory through acquiring knowledge.
Academic discourse can be found at the heart of equipping the students with academic
efficiency and identity. Academic discourse can be taught in several ways one of them is K12
setting however the students can best learn academic discourse through proper exposure to
discovery of new adaptive skills by fusing the course of academic discourse. When the
student is advanced with academic discourse with the accessibility to great communication
skill it becomes easier for a student ton choose his career carefully so that he does not have to
choose anything against his will just because he is not able to express and convey what he
really intends to (Darling-Hammond, 2017). If a student is willing to pursue with a university
of abroad he might have the access to communicate with the people of foreign land therefore
he must have the correct access to lead a smooth live with the effort of smooth

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communication. Therefore academic discourse is re commendably helpful in building the
academic identity of the student.
Singapore has four consistent languages that are officially in practice that are English,
Malay, Tamil and Mandarin Chinese. Being Malay the notational language while English has
been declared as the official language to be used by the government. One noticeable thing
that has taken place in Singapore is the rise in the number of English-speaking people to 59%
in the last decade (Nichols, 2017). The country is in constant effort to make English its
strength so that it can shift from a third world country to first by bringing in some amazing
development through spreading knowledge among the students. English language is
considered by the authorities of Singapore to be something that helps in gaining prosperity.
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew almost singlehandedly took the responsibility to bring in the
transformation because English had been made the lingua franca of this particular country
when it went through its independence (Low, 2019). The fragmented system of education
that was prevailing in Singapore needed to be changed in order to make English the lingua
franca of the nation. The vernacular schools were also equipped with the reformed syllabus
and the new techniques that would have incorporated the spreading knowledge in English so
that the students who have been usually comfortable with Malay are imposed to learn English
because of its worldwide acceptance (Lappalainen & Lahelma, 2016). A student who is
interested in astrophysics or in painting of Dali and Van Gogh might not understand
everything about the form he is interested in because all the information might not be
available in the vernacular he is accustomed with therefore; he has to concentrate more on the
enormous corpus of English language that is accepted in a larger range. Hence that language
has more to offer in every possible field because there is availability of almost every
translated work. It is also true that if the student is well aware of his surroundings then he

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starts realizing what path he should choose as his profession and how he can shine making his
academic reputation by being guided by the academic discourse he has chosen.
Therefore it can be concluded that there are several factors associated with academic
discourse especially with education, providing knowledge and guiding the students with
choosing academic identity. The paper has been arranged with examples of how that is done
through academic discourse and how English language is helpful in solving the problems.

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