| Abstract [eng] |
This dissertation reports on the analysis of text connectors in the Lithuanian EFL and native students’ argumentative essays. The application of methods of Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis and statistical data analysis produced results on the overt marking of semantic relations in the Lithuanian EFL students’ writing. Overall statistically significant overuse and the use of connectors in a non-preferred sentence or text position were observed. The results indicated that a correlation between a writer’s language level and maturity, and connector frequency could be characterised by opposing tendencies. In relatively ‘more simple’ semantic categories, the observed relationship was inverse, while in ‘more complex’ categories – direct. The study also showed some differences between the use of connectors by the Lithuanian EFL learners and learners with different mother tongue backgrounds. Despite the observed differences in connector usage, the results allow us to hypothesize about an almost universally used model of argumentation. |
