Second, I examined the proportion of cohesive ties for 100 words in the target language texts (Table 11.5). This would make the comparison of the TTs and their comparison to the ST easier.

 

 

Even though there is no consistent longitudinal pattern concerning the number of referential ties for 100 words of the TTs, a clear trend can be seen in that irrespective of the point in students’ training, more cohesive ties were used in the TTs than in the STs, in other words, the consecutively interpreted TTs hang together stronger as concerns reference. The results related to elliptical ties are shown in Table 11.6.

 

 

When examining elliptical ties, no consistent pattern is observable, however, at the end of the 4th semester, all students had fewer elliptical ties in their TTs than in the ST.

 

 

This might be explained by postulating a shift in the use of grammatical cohesive devices from the use of connective devices to the use of referential ties as students progress in their training.