Functions of Because in Native English and Korean Learner Corpora
Sun-Young Oh · 2009
This study compares Korean Learner and native English Written corpora with special reference to the functions of because clauses. For this purpose, the uses of because clauses are categorized into three types(cohesive, local and new) based upon their discourse-pragmatic function(Schlepperell, 1996b) The functional distribution of because clauses as well as their overall frequency is compared across the corpora. The results reveal some major disparities between the two corpora. The tendency to overuse because is recomfirmed and attributed to influence from spoken language. A more significant discriminator of the two corpora is the scope of because clauses and their relevance to broader structuring of texts. Unlike the native writers who use because clauses for global and local function, the learners use of such clauses is severely biased towards local uses, which play no role in creating cohesion in the larger text. The are also differentiated from the native writers in their frequented use of independent because clauses, which appears to be a transfer both from spoken register and their native language. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications that arise from these for the purposes of enhanced instruction in L2 writing as well as the use of this conjunction.