Arab learners of english and the use of discourse markers in writing

Abstract

—This study aims at investigating the development level of Arab EFL learners in the use of discourse markers (DMs) in writing through the analysis of their errors. For this purpose, two types of questions regarding the use of DMs (additive, causative, adversative, and temporal) were distributed to 40 undergraduates (20 males & 20 females), first, second, third, and fourth year English-major, in the academic year 2015, at the Hashemite University in Jordan. The study concludes that students' level in using DMs becoming better and better as their academic level evolves.