The discourse markers a corpus-based study of written texts by Iraqi ELPT participants

Abstract EN

-During the past years, a large number of analyses have been done on what is called discourse markers, which are considered a class of linguistic expressions.

Notably, various approaches have been taken, and unsurprisingly various results have been produced as to the theoretical status of discourse markers such as Potts, 2005 or even Blakemore, 2002.

Although discourse markers are typically considered as one of the basic characteristics of oral discourse, nowadays it has been also found in written texts.

Therefore, the current study introduces a kind of investigation to discourse markers in the written language of Iraqi participants in the English Language Proficiency Test, henceforth referred to as ELPT.

Throughout this study, it has been illustrated that discourse markers have a great ability in improving the quality of writing in addition to increasing the conception of text.

In the current research, there is an attempt to measure the participants' knowledge about Discourse Markers.

This study aims to find out whether Iraqi ELPT participants use discourse markers in their writing and how they use them.

To justify this aim, an analysis of forty essays written by ELPT participants was done.

Those essays were collected randomly during the academic year 2019-2020 at the English Language Center /University of Technology.

The current paper has shown that discourse markers are considered one of the most important tools that enrich the writing abilities of any writer