Within academic settings, there are three types of vocabulary readers will encounter:
- Tier 1: Basic, or high-frequency, vocabulary, or words used in everyday speech and commonly learned through conversation (e.g., nice, friend, and community). Explicit tier 1 vocabulary instruction is rarely necessary unless the reader is an English language learner.
- Tier 2: Academic vocabulary, defined as the “language of texts, words that are found across disciplines; are often more nuanced or abstract; and are derived from Latin roots (e.g., “ject” in project ) or Greek forms (e.g., psych in psychiatrist ). These words are the primary instructional target because they are the ‘kind of words that students must know to read increasingly demanding text with comprehension’ (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005, p. 4)” (Hennessy & Moats, 2020, xcviii). These words require explicit instruction because they are less likely to be found in everyday speech—even in the speech of college‐educated adults (EL, 2013).
Academic vocabulary also includes figures of speech and figurative language: idioms, similes, and metaphors. According to Moats:
- Idioms: “Idioms are phrases or sentences that convey nonliteral meanings” (Moats, 2020). Common English language idioms include: mark my words, hit me up, bite your tongue, and get out of my hair (Moats, 2020).
- Similes and Metaphors: “Similes and metaphors are figures of speech used in descriptive or poetic written language that make comparisons depict[ing] the quality or characteristics of something, but a simile uses the word ‘like’ or ‘as’ and a metaphor does not” (Moats, 2020).
- Examples of Similes: As strong as Hercules and as wise as an owl (Moats, 2020)
- Examples of Metaphors: The field is a scarlet gown (Moats, 2020)
- Tier 3: Technical or discipline-specific vocabulary, defined as vocabulary specific to a discipline or a particular field of study. For example, the word supermajority is most often used in the field of politics and in texts about political science.
