Résumé:
This study investigates the use of Discourse Markers (DMs) in the oral and written discourses
of third year EFL learners at the University of 8 Mai 1945, Guelma, Algeria. To carry out this
research, a descriptive method is followed to analyze the written compositions and the oral
presentations of the participants. Data are gathered through collecting 26 essays and observing
the participants‟ oral presentations, then, analyzed according to Fraser‟s taxonomy (1999) of
discourse markers. The study found that students extensively overuse the elaborative
discourse markers over the other markers (contrastive, inferential, and topic change markers)
in both oral and written discourses. It is also revealed that students do not fully master the
appropriate usage of discourse markers. They extensively misuse them in the pattern of
overuse. Moreover, students show a tendency to overuse discourse markers and misuse them
in the oral discourse more than in the written one. On the basis of these results, this inquiry
proposes some recommendations and suggestions for students to aid them master the
appropriate use of discourse markers to realize a cohesive and coherent oral and written
discourse.
