Discourse Markers and English Reading Comprehension

Reading plays a critical role in human communication,and it is regarded as a primary skill to acquire in the field of foreign language teaching.It is a kind of communication between the writer and the reader through written words.According to Relevance Theory,the process of reading comprehension is a process of understanding the writer's intention,and in reading comprehension seeking optimal relevance is crucial.In this process,discourse markers function as guidelines to the reader,thus making the reader gets a full understanding of his intention.This paper aims to disclose the important functions of discourse markers in English reading comprehension and give some suggestions to English reading teaching.