A Study On Discourse Errors In Chiinese College Non-English Majors’ English Writing

By applying discourse analysis theory and error analysis theory, this research aims to identify the discourse errors by college non-English majors in argumentative writing and analyze possible causes of those errors in terms of cohesive devices and discourse organization, which are respectively on the micro-level and macro-level of discourse and believed to play an important role in the achievement of textual coherence. The subjects in this study were 50 sophomores majoring in economics and administration at one university of Hangzhou, who were assigned to write an argumentative essay of about 160 words. Based on Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) taxonomy of cohesion, discourse errors at the micro-level are analyzed from the perspective of reference errors, conjunction errors and lexical cohesion errors. Based on the discourse organization of argumentation and James’(2001) identification of discourse errors in coherence, discourse errors at the macro-level are analyzed from the perspective of the proposal of the thesis, the organization of the arguments, and the conclusion of the arguments.The results of the analysis show that in terms of discourse errors at the micro-level, the students’ essays display some common weaknesses, including ambiguity in reference, overuse of conjunction and repetition, misuse of lexical items in collocation, etc.. In terms of discourse errors at the macro-level, problems exist mainly at the implicit proposal of the thesis and illogical organization of the arguments. It is argued that different thinking patterns are important causes of learners’problems. Differences between Chinese and English in linguistics and culture, and Chinese educational traditions are also the important contributing factors.Based on the research findings, incorporation of the teaching of reading into writing, analysis of writing samples based on discourse theory, practice of the use of cohesive devices and cultivation of learners’cultural awareness are put forward to enhance learners’discourse competence in writing.