COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DISCOURSE MARKERS IN SCIENTIFIC AND NON-SCIENTIFIC ACADEMIC ARTICLES: A FOCUS ON BIOLOGY AND ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

Abstract

Discourse markers are significant keywords in academic writing that assist in structuring the thoughts and assist the reader with the convoluted arguments and its integrity. The paper has adopted a quantitative methodology to analyze discourse marker use in two academic genres biology (a scientific genre) and English linguistics (a non-scientific genre). The paper analysed the frequency and functions of different kinds of discourse markers, including causal, contrastive, additive, and exemplification markers, in 10 articles altogether of each of the genres. It was found that biology articles attempt to employ causal and contrastive markers to establish logical connections and present cause-effect relationships, whereas English linguistics articles attempt to employ additive and exemplification markers to develop arguments and provide examples. The findings revealed that discourse markers when used in academic writing are very much influenced by the genre specific structural and argumentative needs. The study adds to the improved knowledge of how discourse markers operate in various academic fields in different ways.