(Non-)signalling of coherence structures in English learner writing
This study explores different realisations of discourse relations in a corpus of
English learner writing. A sample of 30 essays produced by upper intermediate
learners of English (mean age: 23) is subjected to a multi-method analysis
incorporating (1) global coherence ratings, (2) rhetorical structure analysis
(RST), and (3) features at the linguistic surface level. The focus is on explicit
signalling vs. implicitness of discourse relations in essays rated high vs. low in
coherence. The results show differences in the type of connectives used in highrated
vs. low-rated texts as well as in the use of connectives to signal relations at
higher and lower levels of the discourse structure.
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