Discourse Analysis Of The English-language Newspaper In Contemporary China

Due to different communicative objectives, the English-language newspaper in China distinguishes itself from the Chinese-language media in media operation, and it exerts profound and positive influence on Chinese international publicity. However, seen from a world perspective, the Chinese English-language newspaper is overshadowed by the mainstream English newspapers in terms of expressivity, affinity and reliability. Hence, it has been exposed to sharp criticism, as well as recognition and praises. This paper is a survey of Chinese English-language newspapers, on the basis of which communication strategies and techniques are acquired. Strategies and techniques are aimed to be in agreement with both Chinese communication policy and international journalism norms.The research method of this dissertation is discourse analysis, which is intended to establish an integrated analysis mechanism and to combine quantitative and qualitative research. In terms of form, discourse presents itself as the language in use. It is the linguistic instrument of the discourse subject for a particular purpose. In essence, discourse is the intersection of language system and social context. It is the social practice of the discourse subject, in a certain context, for voicing ideas, feelings and for achieving particular goals. Based on Van Dijk’s theory of news discourse analysis, this dissertation explores discourse features of the contemporary English-language newspaper in China, China Daily as case study, by way of text analysis and context analysis.Political, cultural and linguistic elements constitute the macro context of the English-language newspaper. Being political is the major characteristic of the discourse, and the ultimate goal of the international publicity is to protect China’s national interests in its fight against the ideological differences. Moreover, culture is a major element of a nation’s soft power, representing its power of influence and emotional appeal. The competition between international media is now practiced by way of presenting one’s unique culture and by extensive cultural dissemination. Language is an important information system, and it is playing a critical role in communication. Competing with the mainstream English papers, which are endowed with mature journalism experience, the language competence of Chinese English-language newspapers has become a decisive element in communication effect.The dissertation is composed of five chapters. The first chapter establishes the framework of analysis on the basis of the theory of news discourse analysis. The second chapter is a diachronic study of foreign-language newspapers and periodicals in China. Chapter three studies China Daily’s performance in shaping China’s national image. Chapter four analyzes China Daily’s cultural interpretation of news and its performance in culture dissemination. The last chapter is about China Daily’s competence in English journalism writing. The research is accomplished by way of sampling survey, with a time span of 14 months, from July 2008 to August 2009.2124 sample texts are covered, involving various journalism types, including news, features, comment, etc. The research designs different variables for the study of different sections and topics. With the help of the statistical software SPSS, the data is illustrated and decoded, which is the major reference for the quantitative and qualitative study.The research shows that China Daily has been playing critical role in introducing Chinese achievements in politics, culture and economics, and in establishing the favorable national image of China. In its agenda-setting, care has been given to the macro context of international publicity. The diversity and openness of the topics demonstrates its proactive pursuit of readability and objectivity. Besides, China Daily has done significant work in presenting the authentic Chinese cultural ecology. The language of China Daily can be characterized as "standard English with Chinese characteristics". Generally speaking, the openness and humanism of China Daily shows it is experiencing a historic transcendence in Chinese international publicity mechanism.However, there still exists the deviation of the discourse from the context. To some extent, China Daily has been more under the influence of domestic context. The function of propaganda is more stressed with neglect of other functions of news. The typical example is the choice of safe topics and the stereotyping report. In addition, elements of culture are being marginalized. Rare is the profound cultural interpretation of the news. What’s more, Chinese traditional culture is simplified, which does not match the rich and profound Chinese traditional culture, and it also runs against China’s pursuit of cultural dissemination. On the part of language, there are still inappropriate collocations and nonstandard expressions at both lexical and syntactic level. The language at discourse level is lacking in change and flexibility due to the overemphasis of standard. The research points out that the communication principle of China Daily should be better adapted and the way of interpreting news should be changed to increase the newspaper’s power of influence. It can be achieved by increasing the element of criticalness and the authority on critical issues. Calmness is important in response to the criticism of the foreign media. A more appropriate proportion is needed between business reports and political discourse, negative reports and objective reports, the reports about big cities and that about other regions. Cultural elements of the main sections should be increased, and the cultural dissertation of the newspaper should be more systematic and strategic. The author of the dissertation holds that "standard English with Chinese characteristics" is not only the reflection of Chinese culture and mode of thinking, but also the choice of the media in their political and cultural context. Multiple and flexible ways of presenting news are needed instead of monotonous communication techniques. More efforts are needed for language correctness and exactness.The ideal situation of communication is to increase the "shared meaning space" between the sender and the audience. In the case of Chinese English-language newspapers, the purpose of communication is to reinforce the mutual understanding between Chinese and people of other nations and to win a favorable discourse environment for China.