Use of Discourse Markers in the Composition Writings of Arab EFL Learners

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of discourse markers that Yemeni EFL learners use in their composition writings. The research questions addressed in this paper are (1) what are the DMs that are frequently used by Yemeni EFL learners? , and (2) is there a direct relationship between the use of such markers and the writing quality of the learners in question? The 50 essays written by the study sample were analyzed following Fraser's (1999) taxonomy. The findings of the study reveal that the most frequently used discourse markers are the elaborative ones, followed by the inferential, contrastive, causative and topic relating markers. It is also shown that there is no strong positive correlation between learners' total number of discourse markers used and the writing quality of the participants. There is, however, a positive correlation between the topic relating markers and the writing quality of the learners. The paper concludes with some recommendations and suggestions that should inform EFL writing instruction in this part of the world and in other similar contexts.Keywords: Discourse Markers, Text Coherence, Second Language Acquisition, Yemeni EFL learners1. IntroductionIn general, writing in L2 is viewed as a demanding task, and for L2 learners to be able to produce discourse that conforms to the norms of discourse created by their native counterparts, they need to be familiar with the various components of writing that would assist them to write effectively. Being able to produce grammatically correct sentences in L2 is undoubtedly important, but awareness of how discourse in L2 is created is also of great importance.Given the fact that English has become the language of communication all over the globe, EFL learners need to write effectively so as to be able to cope with the challenges of their academic pursuits. Thus, awareness of the use and practicality of Discourse Markers (henceforth DMs) can immensely contribute to the overall quality of the discourse created by ESL/EFL learners. Rahimi (2011) rightly points out that DMs constitute an essential component of communicative competence. In other words, DMs help learners produce fluent and meaningful discourse in English. The following section is to give an idea about DMs and how they can be manipulated to create meaningful discourse in L2.Schiffrin (1987, p.31) defines DMs as sequentially dependent elements which bracket units of talk. Similarly, Carter (2007) defines the same as intra-sentential and supra-sentential linguistic units which fulfill a largely non-propositional and connective function at the level of discourse, (p. 411). Swan (2005), moreover, gave a more simplistic account of DMs saying:Some words and expressions are used to show how discourse is constructed. They can show the connection between what a speaker is saying and what has already been said or what is going to be said; they can indicate what speakers think about what they are saying or what others have said.This study is an investigation into the use of DMs in the composition writings of Yemeni EFL learners. The motivation behind initiating this kind of work stems from the fact that there is a dearth of research that is concerned with how DMs are actually utilized in the written discourse created by Arab EFL learners. Thus, this study is meant to fill this gap in research and it is hoped that it will yield some insight into this 'overlooked' though extremely important area of second language writing.2. Literature ReviewIn the last two decades or so, a good deal of research has been devoted to the scrutiny and analysis of discourse markers. For instance, the influential work done by Halliday and Hasan (1976), Cohesion in English, immensely contributed to the emergence of studies and empirical research on discourse cohesion and coherence and this naturally led to the study of DMs as a new and promising area of enquiry. …