Locus of Conjunctions in Academic Writing: A Corpus-Driven Approach to Developing Writing among EFL Learners

Abstract

A unified texture of a text is the salient feature of a mature text. Following the Hallidayan approach, this paper explored the worth of conjunctions in academic writing. Corpus-driven comparative research was conducted with a view to investigating the frequency and concordance of conjunctions in academic writings between native and non-native young learners. Four types of conjunctions were extracted from the corpora of 400 essays compiled from ICNALE. The frequency of each type of linking marker was compared with the help of corpus tools, n-gram of AntConc software. The concordance of these markers was analyzed and compared to assess the coherence between the writings of both learners. The findings suggest that the EFL learners need to master the mechanics of text connection through conjunctions; and recommend extra efforts on the part of teachers to make more classroom practices to enhance the proficiency level of the learners.