Discourse Analysis of Cohesive Devices in Saudi Student’s Writing

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyze a piece of writing written by Saudi student in public schools which is problematic in terms of cohesion. The analysis is based upon the work of Halliday and Hasan (1976) and others such as Hoey (1991). The cohesive devices are defined, described and a framework of analysis is developed to investigate the writing with attention to grammatical and lexical cohesion. The student’s writing quality is then judged according to the problems showcased by lack of cohesion. Instructors’ role is perceived in dealing with cohesion in students’ writing.