Signalling links in texts : a comparison of connector usage by native and non-native students and professionals in different genres

• Main Author: Heaton, Suzanne Leslie
• Published: University of Liverpool 2012
• Subjects: 428.24
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.569446

The current study investigates the use of connectors in three corpora. These are words and phrases such as however and as a result used to signal links between propositions within sentences, between sentences and larger areas if text. The non-native student corpus includes texts written by Thai MA TESOL students. The professional corpus comprises texts referenced in the non-native students' bibliographies. The native student corpus consists of texts volunteered by 11 MA Applied Linguistics or TESOL graduates. These corpora were further divided into sub-corpora based on genres such as Reviews, Research Articles and general Articles, along with Chapters in the professional corpora. The study was designed to investigate the frequency of connectors overall and individually, their positioning within sentences and paragraphs, and the types of connections, intra-sentential, inter-sentential and textual, signalled by these words and phrases. The findings indicate that similar to other studies the non-native students overuse and underuse certain connectors. Connectors occur in particular patterns within sentences and paragraphs dependent on genre and register considerations. A comparison of the forms and patterns of use of thus in three different genres confirms this. The study ends with a discussion of the classification of connectors and implications of the findings for research and pedagogy.