A Corpus-Based Contrastive Analysis of Cohesive Devices in Academic Writing: Insights from Arab and English Research Articles in Education and Medicine

Abstract

This study investigated cohesive devices in AEW and NEW texts through a comparative case study indicating patterns in their convergence. This was done through Halliday and Hasan's (1976) model with examples of grammatical and lexical cohesion in Education and Medicine. It drew on a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature and made use of AntConc software to help quantify the numbers of cohesive devices in different contexts. The findings indicated sig-nificant cultural and linguistic impacts on cohesion use. Native-English writers of Arabic back-ground often made use of repetition and third-person pronouns, following the rhetorical tradi-tions of Arabic, which emphasize thematic coherence. Conversely, native English writers made more use of collocation, lexical variety, and clear logical connectors, adhering to Western norms of clarity and linear development. These findings have a number of implications. The findings, therefore, imply a need for tailored EFL instruction in which the cultural preferences of the Ar-ab learners are aligned with the English academic norms. Educators should adopt strategies that will also promote the use of cohesive ties, such as collocations and conjunctions, showing re-spect for the rhetorical identity of the Arab students. Tools like AntConc will help students to improve their writing and make them more self-aware of their writing. The greatest non-pedagogical value of this study would be its contribution to cross-cultural understanding in aca-demic writing. The findings also enhance the understanding of cohesion in academic writing and provide practical suggestions on how to improve EFL instruction and effective cross-cultural communication in today's interconnected academic landscape.