Discourse Pattern And Thought: Are They Transferable In EFL Writings

This paper attempts to explore the differences between Chinese and English discourse patterns, which are believed to reflect thought patterns of different languages. 30 English major postgraduates'compositions of 350-word-length were collected for the analysis of the research.In order to study the extent of the influence of Chinese discourse patterns on the English writings and the English discourse patterns actually used by Chinese learners. The author conducts an investigation on the 30 sample compositions by the postgraduates of two grades in Northeast Normal University. After analyzing these compositions, the author obtains the following findings.Firstly, the Chinese learners of high English proficiency still use Chinese discourse patterns in their English compositions. Secondly, the results indicate that the Chinese discourse patterns transfer negatively in their English compositions. Thirdly, this English discourse pattern Claim-Counterclaim pattern, which is used mostly by Chinese learners.