An Analysis of Discourse Markers in EFL/ESL Reading Materials : Raising Discourse Awareness

The present article is an attempt to analyze some currently available EFL/ESL reading materials in terms of their use of discourse markers. Traditional second/foreign language reading has concentrated on the sentence and units smaller than the sentences. But, recent research into SL/FL reading and discourse analysis has empirically proven that text is not a series of independent units; if reading is to be efficient, the structure of longer units such as paragraphs or discourse within text must be understood. In order to facilitate the reading process, we need to prepare students not only to pay attention to the significance of discourse but also to recognize the various devices used to create textual cohesion and more especially the use of reference and linking-words. Among the many devices connecting ideas in a text are discourse markers, which signal the information structure of the discourse. Simple recognition of the inter-or intra-sentential connectors will help learners to understand the development of ideas and propositions in the passage. For these reasons, the present short article aims 1) to study how discourse markers facilitate reading comprehension, 2) to analyze discourse markers used in some intermediate EFL/ESL textbooks, and 3) to explore the implication for reading material design to raise a discourse awareness of EFL learners