Investigating the Types and Frequency of Cohesive Devices in EFL Students’ Written Dialogue
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31539/1vfdth43Abstract
This study was conducted to understand the use of cohesive devices in written dialogues produced by EFL students at State High School 4 Semarang. A total of sixteen dialogues written by students were analyzed using Halliday and Hasan’s theories through a descriptive qualitative approach supported by frequency counts to identify grammatical and lexical cohesion. Among the various categories, lexical cohesion appeared most frequently, followed by reference and conjunction. Substitution and ellipsis, on the other hand, appeared only a few times. Repetition was the most frequently found in the texts, indicating that students generally rely on word repetition and reference to maintain the flow of conversation and connect ideas in each response. These findings help provide an overview of how EFL learners create cohesion and build continuity in written dialogues. This can also support the teaching of writing skills at the discourse level.
Keywords: Cohesive devices, Discourse analysis, EFL learners, Lexical cohesion, Written dialogue
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