From the reading, I identified several types of vocabulary:
General Vocabulary
These are common, everyday English words that are not specific to science or academic writing. Examples include:
Color: a word used in daily life to describe appearance.
Shape: a familiar word referring to form or outline.
Shiny: a basic adjective describing something that reflects light.
These words are understandable without any specialized knowledge.
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Academic Vocabulary
These words are commonly used in educational or scientific writing and are part of the Academic Word List (AWL). Examples include:
Identify: used when discussing how to recognize or determine something based on evidence.
Categorize: involves sorting things based on characteristics.
Physical properties: a formal phrase referring to observable features of substances.
Chemical composition: refers to what something is made of at a molecular or atomic level.
Crystal: although it can be a general word, in this context it is used academically to refer to solids with regular structures.
These words help learners discuss and analyze information in a structured, academic way.
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Technical Vocabulary
These are subject-specific terms that relate directly to geology or mineralogy. They often require background knowledge to fully understand. Examples include:
Mineralogist: a scientist who studies minerals.
Hardness: a measurable mineral property, ranked by the Mohs scale.
Cleavage: describes how a mineral breaks along specific planes.
Fracture: refers to how a mineral breaks when cleavage isn’t present.
Luster: how a mineral reflects light (e.g., metallic or non-metallic).
Streak: the color of the mineral’s powder when rubbed on a porcelain plate.
Pyrite: the name of a specific mineral, often called “fool’s gold”.
