Academia is the environment or community concerned with the pursuit of research, education, and scholarship. We could say, for instance, that Professor Wole Soyinka spent his working life in academia.
It has been observed that various kinds of errors, relating to choice of words, are committed by those in academic environments, viz. students, teachers and other personnel. This treatise will, therefore, shed light on these wrongly deployed words to enable the readership to communicate with exactitude.
Firstly, are the lecturers in higher institutions called academicians or academics? Well, both words are in the register of academia. Nevertheless, while an ‘academician’ is a member of an academy, which is an organisation founded to protect and develop an art, science, language, and so forth, an ‘academic’ is someone who teaches at a college/university. Also, s/he could be someone who studies, as part of his/her job. The examples below buttress the foregoing standpoint:
I respect the academicians at Lagos State University (non-standard).
I respect the academics at Lagos State University (standard).
She knows the life and work of an academician at the Royal Academy of Arts (standard).
Next, students, especially those in Nigeria, often regard one another as colleagues. It should be made clear that a colleague is one of a group of people who work together. As such, a student should refer to other students as mates, not colleagues. By extension, lecturers should also note that their co-workers are either their ‘colleagues’ or ‘fellows’ not ‘fellow colleagues’. Pointedly, ‘fellow colleagues’ is tautologous. This clarification is likewise deserving of exemplification thus:
My colleagues and I were unable to attend the first lecture (non-standard).
My mates and I were unable to attend the first lecture (standard).
Good morning, the Dean and my fellow colleagues (non-standard).
Good morning, the Dean and my colleagues (standard).
Good morning, the Dean and my fellows (standard).
Notably, a strike, which is the refusal to continue working because of an argument with an employer about working conditions or pay levels, is an activity that workers take part in, not students. Hence, it is inappropriate for students to say they are on strike.
Considering that ‘offer’ is synonymous with ‘give’, it behoves students to note that they cannot offer courses. In point of fact, students ‘take’ or ‘do’ courses, while educational institutions ‘offer’ the same.
Samson does not offer business mathematics (non-standard).
Samson does not take business mathematics (standard).
Samson does not do business mathematics (standard).
Certainly, the University of Ilorin offers accounting (standard).
In the same breath, students do not ‘run’ courses or educational programmes; they ‘enrol on/enrol for’ courses.
Segun is running a post-graduate course (non-standard).
Segun has enrolled on/for a post-graduate course (standard)
Meanwhile, in American English, say:
Segun has enrolled in a post-graduate course (standard).
With regard to English collocations, students should keep in mind that they do not ‘write’ tests and examinations. For appropriateness’ sake, they are expected to ‘do’, ‘take’ or ‘sit’ tests and examinations.
We will write Dr Bamgbose’s test tomorrow (non-standard).
We will take Dr Bamgbose’s test tomorrow (standard).
We will sit Dr Bamgbose’s test tomorrow (standard).
We will do Dr Bamgbose’s test tomorrow (standard).
Doctor Bamgbose’s students wrote the examination yesterday (non-standard).
Doctor Bamgbose’s students sat the examination yesterday (standard).
In American English, though, we have:
Doctor Bamgbose’s students sat for the examination yesterday (standard).
Moreover, some pervasively used prepositions in academia ought to be applied with pin-point accuracy. Chief among them is ‘at’; that is, you are a student ‘at’ (not, a student ‘of’) an educational institution. The accompanying sentences reinforce this:
Douglas is a student of the University of Ibadan (non-standard).
Douglas is a student at the University of Ibadan (standard).
Nonetheless, one can be a student ‘of’ a course; as in:
Douglas is a student of biochemistry (standard).
They are students of public administration (standard).
Pursuant to that, one can be a student ‘in’ a department, a graduate ‘of’ an educational establishment and a graduate ‘in’ a course, as illustrated below:
Douglas is a student in the faculty of management sciences (standard).
Douglas is a graduate at the University of Ibadan (non-standard).
Douglas is a graduate of the University of Ibadan (standard).
Douglas is a graduate of history (non-standard).
Douglas is a graduate in history (standard).
Other things being equal, Titi will be a graduate in French tomorrow (standard).
Furthermore, make mental note of the reality that the prepositions ‘in’ and ‘on’ could reflect the difference between British English and American English. For examples:
The students did well in the examinations (British English).
The students did well on the examinations (American English).
German is not in the curriculum (British English).
German is not on the curriculum (American English).
In the face of these delineations, you will discover that apart from ‘French’ and ‘German’ (language-related courses), courses like ‘history’, ‘accounting’, ‘public administration’ and ‘biochemistry’ were not capitalised, especially because they did not begin the sentences. In spite of that, their first letters should be portrayed in upper case when degrees are attached to them. In other words:
John did a BSc in Accounting (standard).
Stella has a PhD in Biochemistry (standard).
Dennis will do a BA in History (standard).
This treatise is a pointer to the significance of caution in choosing words and using expressions relating to academia. Proficiency in a second language is an accomplishment; you have to strive for it.
