THE USE OF VAGUE LANGUAGE IN ENGLISH ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.831090Keywords:
Academic Writing, Argumentative Essays, Language Clarity, Malaysian ESL Students, Vague LanguageAbstract
Using precise words or expressions is one of the key factors in writing coherent and clear argumentative essays. English as a Second Language (ESL) students often use vague language in argumentative writing, which reduces the clarity of their written expression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and types of vague language in argumentative essays written by Malaysian ESL students. Data were collected from the argumentative essays of 35 ESL students at a public university in southern Malaysia. The essays were analysed using Termjai’s (2025) framework, adapted from Cutting’s (2012) classification of vague language. The findings indicated that across a 12,077-word corpus of 35 argumentative essays, students generated 328 instances of vague language, reflecting a mean frequency of 9.37 instances per essay. The results also revealed that students employed five categories of vague language in their argumentative essays, including general nouns, indefinite pronouns, vague quantifiers, general verbs, and general extenders. Indefinite pronouns emerged as the most frequently utilised category, while general extenders were the least frequently used by students in their argumentative essays. By acquiring deeper understanding of the vague language in argumentative essays, English educators and curriculum developers can reform the academic writing syllabus and design activities that teach students how to replace vague terms with precise expressions and strengthen their arguments.
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