A Comparative Study Of Chinese And American Anti - White Papers From The Perspective Of Evaluation Theory

Appraisal theory is a new vocabulary-grammar framework to study interpersonal meanings, which is a branch proposed by Australian linguistics Martin and his colleagues. It consists of three sub systems: Attitude, Engagement and Graduation. Each sub-system can be divided into more detailed parts. Appraisal Theory concerns how the speaker use language to appraise, convey attitudes and coordinate the relationship with others.Defense White paper is an important document published in many countries periodically. Its purpose is to advertise national defense policy, increase military transparency and build credibility for each other. Defense White paper attributes to discourse of politics, in which the author represents the country negotiating with societies in and abroad intentionally, expressing stances and expecting get the support from potential audiences.This thesis explores 2015 Chinese Military Strategy(CMS) and 2015 National Security Strategy(NSS) with Appraisal Theory as framework, on the basis of quantitative and qualitative analysis.Through the comparison of CMS and NSS, we could find the distinctions of the strategies two countries applied to express defense notion and get coalition. This study would make an effort to enhance the application of Appraisal Theory in political discourses. At the same time, it is expected to take reference to effectively improve communication internationally and power of discourse.