Analyse des mots connecteurs dans les résumés produits par des élèves FL1 et FL2.

This article presents the results of a comparative study of summaries written by secondary- and university-level students enrolled in either the FL1 or FL2 program in a Canadian province outside Québec. The purpose is to compare the use of connector words in these summaries. To do so, the connector words were categorised according to four types of relationships, specifically addition, causality, opposition, and chronology. The frequency with which these words were used in the summaries was analysed by program and academic level, as well as compared to their use in the source text. The study showed differences in the frequency with which causal and temporal connecting words were used between the two programs as well as among the different academic levels. However, when connector use was adjusted for the length of the summaries, the only statistically significant differences were in the use of connector words for opposition, which increased at the university level. The study also showed that causal linking words were overused in summaries produced by all participants when compared to the source text. It also showed that the FL1 group used a greater lexical variety of connectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]