The Use of Cohesive Devices in Descriptive Writing by Omani Student-Teachers

This study examines college-level Arabic L1 users’ command ofcohesive devices by exploring the extent to which Omani student-teachers of English andnative English speakers differ in their use of cohesive devices in descriptive Englishwriting. Halliday and Hasan’s framework of cohesion was used to analyze the essayswritten by the two groups. A qualitative research methodology was utilized to analyzethe writing of the two groups to reveal the points of strengths and weaknesses in theirwriting. The results of the study indicated that there was a notable difference betweenthe natives’ and the students’ use of cohesive devices in terms of frequency, variety,and control. While L1 English users’ writing displayed a balance between the use andfrequency of various types of cohesive devices, the students overused certain types(repetition and reference) while neglecting to use the others, thereby often, renderingtheir written texts noncohesive