Corpus-based Analysis Of Discourse Connectors In Advanced Chinese EFL Students' Writing

The previous studies have proved that the use of connectors is problematic for language learners, in particular foreign language learners. This study will be concerned with the use of connectors in advanced Chinese learners' writing. Applying the corpus approach, the researcher has conducted a study of advanced Chinese EFL students' writing by focusing on usage of connectors. The study uses data from the Chinese corpora ST6 in the Chinese Learner English Corpus (CLEC) and the native corpora LOCNESS in the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE). The Concordance software is used to help analyze the data in the present study.The study examines the use of adverbial connectors in advanced Chinese students' written English and compares it with the use in comparable types of native English writing. The research findings show clear evidence of both overuse and underuse of individual connectors. However, across the entire range of connectors, the figures for underuse are noticeably lower than those for overuse. As qualitative data alone are not always sufficient to determine a particular linguistic phenomenon, qualitative analysis is also made to investigate some connectors that are strikingly overused or underused by Chinese students.The overuse of individual connectors firstly, secondly suggests that the Chinese students use a different kind of argumentation style from the native students. They prefer to list their positive evidence to argue for their views rather take opposite views into consideration like native students do. The interpretation for the underuse of therefore and however is that Chinese students tend to avoid such formal connectors and replace them by informal connectors like 50 and but.To broaden the scope, we also briefly compare results of the present study with those of other related studies. It is significant that the results of the present study confirm a number of...