Changes in Language Within the Educational Sector

Changes in Language Within the Educational Sector

Language, as a medium of communication, brings together the society as a whole. From the beginning of time, its impact forms bonds dispels the possibility of miscommunication, and creates a harmonious ecosystem.

In an educational setting, language has become a tool to spread awareness and educate the masses. From a young age, students are taught how to comprehend, analyse and articulate text which is formal, sophisticated, and comprehensible.

Students are encouraged to use language as a weapon to form words which can change minds and shift deeply ingrained perceptions. Writing, itself, has become a cathartic process for passionate individuals who desire to express their thoughts using the power of words.

However, in recent years, the role as well as utilisation of the tool, has shifted drastically. While the traditional use of language showed signs of strict uniformity, the current state of language in education differs in the ensuing ways:

  • Use of colloquial expressions in informal writing: The current trend of educational institutions has slightly amenable rules when it comes to the use of idiomatic expressions. Students in this age, are expected to express themselves using whatever tools they deem necessary. As a result, students are permitted to use any terminology or expression which best fit their descriptions.
    However, this use is only limited to specific settings. In formal academic projects such as dissertation writing, students are still prohibited from the use of slang language.
    The use of colloquial expressions is encouraged mostly in the field of arts, humanities, and social sciences, where students hold power to use language to create something novel and innovative.
  • Introduction to new structures and house styles: The traditional method of formal writing involved a strict implementation of a standard structure. Failure to meet the requirements of the said structure resulted in the reduction of the overall grade.
    In the current day, formal writing still enforces students to write by the provided structure. However, the educational system has formed segregation between fields by assigning a different style of writing in particular areas.
    For instance, students pursuing psychology as a course are required to write by the APA- American Psychological Association standards. The APA style demands for the font to be Times New Roman in size 12, text to be justified with 1.5 spacing between the lines.
    In addition to the APA referencing style, there is a myriad of different referencing styles obligatory for a particular course.
    Many universities further employ a ‘house style’ which is an outline restricted only to the students of that particular institution.
  • Use of speech recognition software programs: The traditional method of note-taking and paper writing manually was initially replaced by the use of keyboards. The recent technological advances now allow students to avoid making any effort and get their papers written simply by verbalising their thought process.
    Various speech recognition software programs empower students to attach a microphone to their computers and speak the words out loud while they get recorded onto the screen in real-time. With this software, students can spend a minimum amount of time on their projects after carrying out a thorough proofreading session.
  • Use of English as a Lingua Franca: Lingua Franca is a term used to define an amalgamation of different languages. For English to become the current global language, it took the risk of gaining its influence from a wide variety of cultures as well as another language. The rich history of English has now made it susceptible to change.
    The current educational system is considerate of this change, thus providing the student with the liberation of using the terms in the language which are not pure English. The expansion of the student’s vocabulary has shifted the paradigm from articulating plain texts to curating exciting, expressive and much more robust pieces of writing.
  • Concurrent use of plagiarism detection software programs: Detecting plagiarism in the traditional educational setting was almost impossible. In this age, plagiarised content can be detected within a matter of seconds, only by uploading the file on a database of plagiarism detection software programs.
    Educators can download programs and run the student’s paper against a database of every piece of written material which exists on the internet. By contrasting the two papers, the degree of copied content can be identified.
    The access to these software programs is not only limited to university professors; on the contrary, anyone with an internet connection can use the services of a plagiarism detection software program.
  • Strict actions against abusive language: The traditional form of writing failed to take stringent steps against the use of abusive and offensive language. Evidence of this can be found in old literature such as ‘how to kill a Mockingbird.’
    The current linguists pay special attention to the use of language in their writing. Any offensive or swear word is expelled instantly from writing.

This rule is further extended to educators as well. A recent story of a Rutherford High School teacher gained much attention over the internet. The teacher reported using the terms “WTF” to grade a student’s paper. The parent’s uprise regarding this issue pushed the principal to get involved as well as the school’s HR department to take notice.
This incident demonstrates the careful consideration of using proper terms in modern society.

  • Focus on understanding rather than control: The contemporary style of education pushes the students to clear their concepts. As a result, the grading criteria for the use of informal language has become relatively lenient.
  • Assistance offered by online dissertation help: Due to the increasing academic pressure, students today are relying more and more on the facilities offered by web-based writing services. The online companies encourage students to assign a topic and attain a customised paper in exchange for a low price.

Thus, the language used in dissertations today is more of a mixture of ideas which is expressed by the writer as well as the thinker.

The recent shifts in the expression and articulation of language have several positive impacts on the current society. The educational system continues to grow and embrace all the novel ideas which originate with time.