Discourse analysis and schema theory: A comparative study of Chinese and American readers

This study investigated the differences between Chinese and American readers in their responses to an essay organized according to Chinese rhetorical principles. The essay was selected from a Chinese composition encyclopedia and an English translation was used with the American readers (a back-translation technique was used to insure stability of meaning). The essay contained five paragraphs and on the surface, it resembled a standard American college-level essay. However, the writer, rather than establishing an initial main idea, gradually developed related ideas throughout the essay.; The study examined the responses of the two groups of readers (106 participants in each group) to three tasks that elicit their judgements about whether (1) the main idea is clear; (2) the essay is consistent; (3) the readers are more reader-oriented or writer-oriented (i.e. whether the major responsibility for establishing meaning is primarily the writer's or the reader's). Corresponding to these tasks are three major results: (1) The Chinese readers tended to accept more than one main idea while the American readers tended to accept only one. (2) The Chinese readers tended to view the essay as consistent while the American readers tended to view it as inconsistent. (3) The Chinese readers tended to be more reader-oriented while the American readers tended to be more writer-oriented. This study suggests that culturally transmitted rhetorical structures have considerable impact on readers. Given the increasing flow of textual information between countries, we need to be attentive to how these rhetorical structures affect readers' comprehension.