Academese - Pretentious Prose or Meticulous Methodology?
Introduction
Obtuse language obstructs and gatekeeps the uninitiated from entering rooms of knowledge, and keeps conversation keen and sharp, focused on its most accurate expression - as close as human speech gets to truth. Technical jargon may be conceived in a moment of inspiration, or it may be developed over time as the need to express a specific idea arises. Where do we draw the line? When is a text artificially filled with superfluous wording to give the false impression of substance, and when is it needed for an accurate portrayal of difficult-to-grasp concepts? The line seems blurred, and the cut between genius and madman is sometimes so dull that the two are still sewn together by mental sinew.
Academese is a term that describes the unnecessary and artificial use of language, often found in academic writing. It’s the antithesis of plain language. It’s often used as a pejorative and is used to criticise the extensive use of jargon and technical terms. While academic writing and its stereotypical linguistic inflation give the term its name, academese is found in a lot of writing outside of the academic world, and other terms like “journalese” and “governmentese” exist under the umbrella of “wooden languages”. Intentional and superficial complexity is often used as a way to mask the lack of substance in a text and is used to impress readers. Used this way, language can be connecting and simultaneously separating people.
The use of academese is prolific in the academic world because of the community surrounding it. Just like languages and dialects connect and discern groups of people from others, so is academese an indication of group belonging, and it forms a power relation between the people who use it and those who don’t. On the other hand, today we see the rise of pop-science writing and the criticism of academese, and an oversimplification of technical terms has not only caused the rise of pseudo-intellectuals but also disrespected the arts themselves. Language is a tool, and when we use a saw to drive in nails into the wood, we can’t blame the saw for doing an inadequate job.
The use of technical jargon and obtuse terminology has a purpose sometimes, and doing away with it completely is blaming the tool for the work we try to do with it. Technical terms are needed, and pretentious prose also has a place in the multifaceted realm of writing. Finding the line between the two can be difficult, as oversimplification can lead to dumbing down and leaving out vital details, and extravagant and overcomplicated language can obstruct and deceive. This text is about finding this balance - can academese serve a benign purpose, or is it malicious by nature?
We will be examining these questions through two lenses: language as communication and language as art. The dichotomy between these two is what gives rise to the negative side of academese, I believe. Nietszche spoke of this logical, versus creative manner as Apollonian and Dionysian, named after the classic Greek gods. Apollo represents prudence, rationality and being the god of the sun shines clearly with intention. Dionysus appeals to delirium, dance, and as the god of wine, passionately intoxicates and creates chaos in communication.
Language as Communication
When trying to communicate and appeal to someone’s intellectual understanding, it’s best to be clear and concise. If I am to give you directions, the worst thing I could do would be to add colour and lavishness to the language. Aesthetics and accuracy meld together and become sediment, sinking to the bottom of consciousness, and if we wish to stay afloat in the conversation, sometimes we think the best option is to fill our words with air. At some point, the balloons take flight, and the message is lost in the vastness of space. The primary and most important function of language is communication.
There are many ways to communicate, and language is just a small aspect of it. And text is a little bit peculiar because it’s in a lot of ways more one-dimensional than our regular face-to-face communication. It’s also unique in the way that it usually allows the writer to communicate more deliberately and more slowly, which gives space for more details and is usually done in a monologue. When we talk to ourselves, we often have a different voice and manner of speech than when we speak publicly, and some of those who are trained in public speech may develop a “stage voice” - a manner of speech specific for the stage. Much the same, when extensively writing or speaking to oneself, it’s easy to fall into a habit of this “stage voice”. A good example of this is when we find a word we really like and overuse it; it’s no different from a painter finding a colour or a theme they obsess over. As humans, we are creatures of habit.
Falling into this habit, it’s understandable how some writers become fluent in acadamese, and in this tunnel vision lose sight of any language outside of it. It’s not always about technicality and accuracy, but certainly that can be the case. If two musicians are discussing music, they could use plain language to communicate, but probably do so with greater difficulty and run the risk of misunderstanding each other. However, if both are in the technical know-how, they could speak in musical theory, a jargonistic and nonsensical manner of speaking to the uninitiated. It’s important to remember who the text is for and what the purpose of it is. That’s how language is used as a tool.
Whatever you have need of, language can be used to express that. There are so-called “untranslatable” words in almost every language that often describe or attempt to communicate unique cultural experiences. A language spoken by a people living by the Arctic Circle may contain a large pool of synonyms for snow - describing the unique qualities of snow in different temperatures and the many shapes water can take. A person living in the Saharan desert might think it superfluous to have so many words for snow, when even one word for it is unnecessary. Language thus adapts to your needs, and this is important to remember.
If you’re interested in language, the nuances and the use of it, chances are you like pretentious prose. Maybe not to read it, but to use it to explore dimensions of which most people seem unaware. This kind of writing appeals to another aspect of human consciousness; it appeals to the emotional and creative side. This is the purpose of language as art.
Language as Art
Language of art is also a form of communication, but instead of speaking to a person’s intellect, it appeals to instinct and on a deeper level. Communicating with the subconscious and the very spirit of mankind, one does well to leave rationality, logic and earthly sense behind; these things only fetter and hold down what is free and soaring. This communication may seem dense and convoluted, but where plain language fails, poetry is of avail. The abstraction of language may serve superficial goals, but it can also be the only way to properly express certain parts of life, or even to do some kind of justice to experiences that can’t be expressed appropriately through words. When it comes to the accuracy of artistic representation, the only judge of that is the artist themselves.
Accuracy can be difficult to find, and using the right words in the right way can be difficult if you're limited to conventional rules. That’s why poetry is so free-form as it is, and language can be incredibly colourful, but to the colourblind, it might all seem the same. Sometimes, for the sake of accuracy, text has to be dense, and to be able to express emotions, a text might have to be superfluous; it depends on the person and their language, and their use of it. We generally expect this kind of writing from novel writers and fiction writers, but when it comes to academics, we expect a more plain language. Yet academics are often criticised for their technical jargon, and perhaps we shouldn’t equate it to poetry, but isn’t there something to be said about the artistic use of inventing and using words in a particular and elaborate way?
Some particularly prone to inventing and especially, reinventing words are philosophers. While often disguising themselves as tauntological purveyors of timeless wisdom and truth, more often than not, they are artists, and their fanciful use of words and languages gives way to a self-understanding which only art can allow for. Even the politically inclined appeal to emotion, and a powerful message isn’t delivered with clear and concise language, but rather with an emotional impact. Any type of language, whether it’s philosophical, political or plain, can be filled with technical terms and jargon; it’s the composition and use of these terms that determine whether or not a text is better with or without them.
Final Words
Whether a text is aided or hindered by flair and superfluous language depends on the audience and the topic. Academese can be helpful for the initiated to speak in greater detail and to reduce the risk of misunderstandings, but to the outsider, it might be a hindrance. Einstein famously said
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”
That can certainly be true, but a writer might also want to exercise their creativity and push the limits of how language is constructed and how it can be used. There is skill and practice required to not only speak of something accurately but also to write about it. It’s of course important to take criticism and to remember that a text should still be understandable (assuming that is the end goal), but in this day and age, more importantly than ever, is to find that unique voice when writing. In a world filled with AI slop and copy-pastas, our diet has been saturated with much of the same wording and the same jargon. It’s okay to not be understood completely, especially if you feel like that is the best way to express a thought.
I started to fall in love with writing when I realised how complex a skill it really is, and in how many ways the same thing can be expressed completely differently. It’s not only fun but also challenging, and a good exercise in creativity and expression. The more I write, the more unintelligible I wish to make it at times, because it opens up so many internal doors within the person reading. Ambiguity is important in art, but it can be detrimental when trying to explain something.
However, in explaining art and more abstract things, the best way might be some ambiguity. In the end, all communication only goes as far as understanding through the lens of self. A person will only understand you as far as they understand themselves, and to even understand yourself in what you’re saying, you might have to find some other way to express it. Something which isn’t held back by rationality. It’s important to understand the target audience and the message. To listen and take in criticism, there is a time and place for each style of language, both wooden and plain. A style of free-flowing consciousness is more appropriate in some scenarios, and others might require more effort and thought behind it.
We often experience the negatives of academese when communicative styles become too artistic, or artistic exploration becomes too plain. The art world certainly has its fair share of jargon and overused clichés found plastered next to paintings in every museum in the world. Perhaps it’s pretentious nonsense, or perhaps it’s expressed just as it was meant to be. You don’t have to read it, and if they at least had fun when writing it, then why not? One could, of course, choose to be linguistically nihilistic and just proclaim that the limitations of language are always too strict and that nothing will ever be adequately expressed, or you can make the most of it and have fun with it. If the alternative and the protest to the shortcomings of language is a vow of silence, then we have accepted defeat.
Language shouldn’t be underestimated; there is nothing short of miraculous about the things we can convey to each other, not only through words but other forms of expression and communication. Words are tools, and it’s up to the craftsman how they’re used and how they best serve their purpose. If you need intricate detailwork, then so be it, but be careful not to overwork it and make it unintelligible.
