Luận văn an analysis of cohesive devices in the esp textbook on accounting at university of labor and social affairs

ABSTRACT This suidy is mainly aimed at analysing cohesive devices in the reading texts on Accounting at ULSA, finding out teachers’ attitudes towards cohesion teaching.. The analysis re

VIEENAM NÀTIONAL UNIVERSLTY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

feat ofa aff ee ede eae ae eae eae

CAO THI HUYEN NGA

AN ANALYSIS OF COHESIVE DEVICES LN THE ESP TEXTBOOK ON ACCOUNTING AT UNIVERSITY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

PHIÂX TÍCH CÁC PHƯƠNG TIỆN LIÊN KET TRONG GIAO TRINII

TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH KẾ TOÁN TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC

LAO DONG XA HOT MLA Minor Thesis

Field: English Linguistics

Code: 6022 15

MA course: 18

Hanoi — 2012

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDLES

ARERERSM AEA RH ERE

CAO TITTITUYEN NGA

AN ANALYSIS OF COHESIVE DEVICES IN THE ESP TEXTBOOK

ON ACCOUNTING AT UNIVERSITY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL

AFFAIRS

PIIAN TICII CAC PITUONG TIEN LIEN KET TRONG GIAO TRÌNH

TIENG ANH CHUYEN NGANH KE TOAN TAI TRUONG ĐẠI HỌC

LAO DONG XA HOI M.A Minor Thesis

Field: English Linguistics

Code: 60 22 15

MA course: 18 Supervisor: M.A Nguyen Quynh Trang

Hanoi — 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CANTICAD!

STATEMEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

ABBREVIATIONS we

LIST OF TABLE SAND CHARTS _

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

2 Aims of the study

3 Scope of the sfudy

4 Significance of the study

5 Methods of the stuily

6 Design of the study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1: Theorctical background

1.1 Discourse

1.1.1 Discourse and LexL

1.1.2 Spoken and written discourse,

1.1.3 Context in discourse analysis,

1.1.3.1 Context of enltre

1.1.3.2 Context of situation,

1.1.4 Register and genre in discourse analysis

1.2 Cohesion

1.2.1 The concept of cohesion

1.2.2 Cohesion and coherence

1.3 Main types of cohesion

1.3.1 Grammatical eohesion

1.3.1.1 Reference

1.3.2 Substitution

wow

xà

xả

Hà

»

vii

1.3.1.3 LBipsis

1.3.1.4 Conjunetion

1.3.2 Lexical cohesion

1.3.2.2 Collacation

1.3.3 Aspects 0Ÿ collesi0i ào Hàn heo man

1.3.3.1 Topieal cohesion

1.3.3.2 Logieal cohesion

1.4, Backgraund knowledge for English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

1.4.1 The coneept of ESP

1.4.2 Posturos of BSP đỉscotse

1.4.3 English for Accounting- a type of ESP

CHAPTER 2: METIIODOLOGY

2.1 Instrument †- Texthook an8lysiS - cọ nh he

2.1.1 Aims

2.1.2 Textbook description

2.1.3 Methods

2.1.4 Procedure

2.2 Tasirument 2- The interview

2.2.1 Aims

2.2.2 Subject

2.2.3 Method

2.2.4 Procedure,

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 The texthook analysis

3.L.1 Grammatical cohesion

3.1.1.1 Reference

3.1.1.L.1 Anaphoric raforence

3.1.1.1.2 Cataphoric reference

vit

vi

3.1.1.1.3 Ixophotie zefsrense

3.1.1.1.4 A comparison of anaphoric, cataphoric and cxaphoric reference

3.1.1.2 Conjunetion,

B.LL21 Additive

3.1.1.3.2 TemporaL

3.1.1.2.3 AđveTsaliVE "¬— —

3.1.1.2.4 Causal

3.1.1.3 Substilution

b5 nh

3.1.1.5 A comparison of reference, conjunetion, substitution and ellipsis

3.1.2, Lexical cohesion

3.1.2.1 Reilaration

3.1.2.2 Colloeation

3.1.2.2.1 Lexical collocation

3.1.2.2.2 Grammatical collocation

3.1.3 Summary

3.2 The interview

PART €: CONCLUSIONS

1 Recapilulalion

3 Implications for teaching and leaming ESP for Accounting students at ULSA

4, Suggestions for further research

REFERENCES

Appendix |

Appendix TE

Appendix III

Appendix 1V

Appendix V

Appendix VL

Appendix VIL

Vv

VIL

Vil

XIV

XXII

viii

ABSTRACT

This suidy is mainly aimed at analysing cohesive devices in the reading texts on

Accounting at ULSA, finding out teachers’ attitudes towards cohesion teaching Four reading texts were chosen as core materials for the analysis of the cohesive devices Hive teachers from English Department were asked ta take part itt the interview in order ta give ideas about thew aititudes towards teaching cohesion The analysis reveals that lexical

cohesive devices are used mare often in the textbooks than grammatical cohesive devices

The data from interview indicates that the teachers often teach cohesion in class but they can not cover all types of cohesion Based on the findings, significant suggestions were

provided for future applications in learning and teaching cohesion It is hoped that the

results of this research would be of some use for farther stay in the field

tà

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Aller several years leaching ESP for students of Accounting, Ihave eome to rcdlizc that most of ULSA students lack the adequate linguistic knowledge in English to read and

understand a slightly complex writien text, especially texts related to Accounting So, students tend lo make errors al ssnlences which lead lo misinlerprel the correct content of the texts Moreover, students are poor in recognizing sentence, word relation and transferring ideas ‘They find it difficult to find suitable words to express their ideas, or

sven their vocabulary is Girly good, they slill dor’ now how lo commect wards lo form a complete meaningful sentence, They are, consequently, not well- organized in their own reading and waiting It’s mostly due to students’ insufficient language base ‘They do not pay full attention to the echesive devices used in the conloxi of the text

To understand thoroughity the use af cohesive devices as linguistic means in the text is very cssential for non-major students of English, especially for students of ULSA

‘The demand for analyzing cohesive devices used in ESP textbook becomes extremely urgent Thus T have decided to study cohesive devices used in the Tinglish lextbook on

Accounting T do hope thal this study partially holps both toachers amd students at ULSA improve the effectiveness of teaching and leaning ESP

2 Aims of the study

Tirstly, the study mainly aims at describing and analyzing cohesive devices in the

TSP textbook on Accounting in terms of grammar and lexis Secondly, il attempts to find

out teachers’ attitudes towards teaching cohesion Thirdly, giving out implications to

teaching and learning reading skill in ESP is the last aim of the study

The following reszarch questions are raised Lo reach the aims of the study:

1, What are the frequencies of occurrence of cohesive devices in the ESP textbook on

Accounting?

2 What are tcachers’ atlitudes towards leaching cohesion?

3 Scope of the study

The source of the study takes the current course book at ULSA: “English for Labor

and Social Affairs”, Labor and Social Affair Press, Hanol 2009 Due to limited time

and within the framework of a minor MA thesis, the study just mainly focuscs on

grammatical and lexical cohesion in the ESP textbook for third- year and fourth- year

Accounting students at ULSA in which texts fiom unit 17 to unit 25 are taken and used as written diseotrse

4 Methods of the study

Firstly, the methods of description, analysis and statistics in linguistics are used in this study, The study will base on reviewing materials used in the ESP course for Accounting al LSA in order lo collect and classify cohesive devices so as to point oul the frequency of occwrence of cohesive devices used in the reading texts

Secondly, both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used to find out leachors” altitude tawerds teaching cohosion and stndow’s perception of understanding cohesive devices to do reading exercises Data from the interview and questionnaire will

be analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to achieve the objectives of the study

Thirdly, the findings from data analysis arc inductively proseniad, thal is, la move

from less general lo mors general stalernents

5 Design of the study

‘The thesis consists of three parts

Part A: Introduction

“This part introduces the rationale, aims, scope, significance and methods of the study

Part B: Development

Chapter 1 deals wath theoretical background of the research with three main section: discourse with spoken and written discourse, cohesion with coherence cohesive

devic

$ in terms of grammar and loxis

Chapter 2 gives out the methodology used in the study

Chapter 3 supplies the findings and discussion of analyzing cohesive devices used

in writlen discourse af lextbook on Accounling: grarmmar cohesion and lexical cohesion ta find each subtype of cohesion’s frequency of use; investigating teacher’s attitudes towards teaching cohesion and student's perception of understanding cohesive devices to do reading exercises

Part C: Conclusions

This part consists of a summary of the findings, conclusion remarks, implications and suggostions for further study

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

Cohesion and coherence

‘The distinction between cohesion and coherence has not always been clarified partly because both terms come from the same verb cohere which means sticking together

In fael, echesion is the network of different kinds of formut relations thal provide tinks between or among various parts of a text, and is expressed partly through the grammar and partly through the vocabulary Coherence, on the other hand, is understood as the quality

of being meaningful and unified, As for Nunan (1993), coherence is “the fecling that sequences of sentences or utterances seem to hang together” Coherence refers to the type

of semantic and rhelorical relationship that underlines texts,

Coherance refers to the type of semantic of rhetorical relationships that under texts Richards, Plall, Webslor (1985) stated that: “Cohercrice refers to the rhetorical devices, to ways of writing and speaking that bring about order and unity and emphasis Coherence can obtain on the basis of relevance, the co-operative principle, the common shared background knowledge betwecn participants in a spccch event, and how discourse is structured, as well”, Moreover, they also add that coherance is the relationships which link the meanings of utterances in discourse or of the sentences in a text In addition, Nguyen Toa (2000) stales that coherence is built upon semantic ties in discourse Therefore, if cohesion refers to the linguistic elements that make a discourse semantically echerent, then coherence involves with what makes a text semantically meaningful In short, coherence is

ainbodicd by a sysiom of cohesive devices and cohesion is mainly uscd to cnsurc coherence

Main types of cohesion

Halliday and Hasan recognize five types of cohesive devices in English and in the Íexicogrammalical system of the Janguage They are referers, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion, Reference, substitution, and ellipsis are grammatical, lexical cohesion is lexical; conjunction stands on the border line between the two categories In other words, it is mainly grammatical but sometimes involves lexical

selection.

“

Grammatical cohcsion: Gramunatical cohesion may be defined as The surtace marking the semantics links between clauses and sentences in written discourse, and between

ullcran

s and tunes in specch These links can be grouped in four types: reference, ellipsis, substitution and conjunction,

- Reference: In Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics “ (1998) vefersnce invits wider sense would be the Telalionship belween a word or phrase and

an entity in the extemal world” and “reference in its narrower sense is the relationship between a word or phrase and a specific object

- Substitution: According lo Haltiday and Hasan (1976), substilution is “a relation on the fexico-grammatical level, the level of grammar and vocabulary, ar linguistic form”

- Ellipsis: Ellipsis, as for Halliday and Hasan (1976) és an omission of certain elements from a senlenve or a clause and ean orily be recovered by toferring io an clsrent in the

proceeding tex!

- Conjunction: ‘As grammatical items, Cook (1989) defined: “Conjunctions are words or phrases which explicitly draw attention to the type of relationship between one sentence and clause and another”

Lexical cohesion: Lexical cohesion occurs when two words in a discourse are semantically relaled in same way Tlalliday and Masan (1976) classify lexical cohesion inta two main categories: reiteration and collocation

- Reiteration: According to Halliday and Hasan (1976) is “the repetition of a lexical item,

or the occurrence of a synonym of some kind, in the context of reference; that is, where the

Iwo occurrences have the same referent.”

- Collocation: Halliday and Hasan (1976) stated that collocation as an important part of creating cohesion in connected text

CIIAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the definition as well as the conducting steps of lextbook analysis and the interview Fustly, description, analysis and statistics are methods used in the textbook analysis to teach its main aims ‘The textbook analysis is based on statistical tool, then tablo and charl damonsizations ara used lo analyze the statistical data, in this way, the author can describe grammatical and lexical cohesion trom the text corpora Secondly, a persona, semi-structured interview which consisted of six specific questions was used

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION