Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Learning 2015, 1(1): 1-5 DOI: 10.5923/j.jalll.20150101.01 Exploring Patterns of Cohesion in Class Presentations by Native Speakers of English Mobin Motamed * , Alireza Jalilifar Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khouzestan, Iran Abstract Some English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners avoid speaking and do not participate in class presentations because they are afraid of not being cohesive in speaking. In coping with such a problem, some crucial solutions of using the patterns of cohesion in speaking are required to teach the learners of English how to be cohesive in speaking. An appropriate task in this regard was studying and analyzing native contexts. The interpretation could be taken from exploring some class presentations that occur in an English native context. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the cohesive patterns used by native speakers of English in 8 class presentations which are taken from Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English (MICASE). The analysis began with the collection of the data, which is the transcription of the class presentations. Then, the patterns of cohesion- reference, conjunction, ellipsis and substitution- were identified. After tabulating the findings, they were discussed to see how native speakers of English use these patterns of cohesion in making their speaking more textual in interaction. The findings showed that the native speakers of English in class presentations frequently used reference, conjunctions, and ellipsis, and they rarely used substitutions in the class presentations. The findings could be taken out to act as a model to guide EFL students to use these patterns to be more cohesive in their class presentations. Keywords Cohesion, Patterns of cohesion, Class presentation, Native speakers, EFL learners 1. Introduction In the study of grammatical and lexical devices that form cohesive relations between sentences and elements in sentences, the notion of cohesion is an area of language in which grammar and discourse are highly integrated, and it plays a very important role in interaction between people through both written and spoken texts [1]. To produce language successfully, writers and speakers should be aware of textuality in production, and one of the most important folds in this regard is the cohesion, because it makes sense in understanding and positive feedback in interaction [2]. When analyzing utterances, it is not enough to only describe its structure; it is necessary to approach it with respect to the actual communication situation. According to cohesion which belongs to the standards of textuality, spoken and written discourses display grammatical connections between individual clauses and utterances [3]. The present study intends to investigate how English native speakers use the patterns of cohesion in their interaction, and how they make textuality in speaking. To this end, the current study analyzed the language produced by English native students in class presentations. * Corresponding author: mobinami@yahoo.com (Mobin Motamed) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/jalll Copyright © 2015 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved Even though many studies (e.g. [4, 5, 6, & 7]) have been done in the area of cohesive devices in written discourse, studying the patterns of cohesion in spoken discourse received little attention. Thus, it is important to develop an investigation of cohesion in spoken discourse. This importance becomes more vital when it comes to the difficulty that non native learners, especially Iranian EFL learners, may have in the use of cohesive patterns in their class presentations. Thus, this study aims to investigate the cohesive patterns used by native speakers of English in class presentations. Therefore, it reflects on the following questions: 1. What are the most frequently used cohesive patterns by native speakers of English in class presentations? 2. How are the patterns of cohesion manifested in the class presentations? 3. How can the investigation of these patterns contribute to the similar EFL class presentations? One of the biggest problems in class presentations is the fear of not being cohesive in speaking. For this reason, some EFL learners avoid speaking and do not participate in class presentations. In coping with such a situation, a model is required to use the patterns of cohesion in speaking to teach the learners how to make textuality in speaking. An appropriate task in this regard is taking a useful model from native contexts. This model can be taken from exploring some class presentations that occur in an English native context.