A Study On The Discursive Construction Of National Image Based On Appraisal Theory

In the context of western cultural monopoly and western discourse hegemony,imbalance between east and west discourse is formed.As a result,the image of China recognized by the international community is incomplete,superficial,biased and mixed,in view of which,it is necessary to construct a Chinese discourse system to international community.Political speech,as a public discourse,is used to express attitude,stance,illustrate views and publicize proposal in domestic and foreign affairs(Shao Shouyi,2003).Diplomatic speech falls into the category of political speech.It represents the image of a nation and is used to express the speaker's attitude or stance.In this sense,President Xi's diplomatic speech is an important way to tell Chinese stories to the international community,to deliver the Chinese voice and to construct Chinese discourse.Martin's Appraisal Theory was a further development of Halliday's theory of interpersonal function.It aims to analyze appraisal resources in discourse,which are used to evaluate the speaker's views,attitudes and stances on specific events.The thesis collects President Xi's 15 diplomatic speeches from the official website of China Daily.Through examination of the frequency and distribution of high-frequency topic words and appraisal resources in the diplomatic speeches,and using quantitative and qualitative research methods,this thesis attempts to explore how President Xi uses rich appraisal resources in diplomatic speeches to negotiate with audience and to better deliver China's voice,so that the international community can understand China more realistically and comprehensively.Data analysis shows: firstly,attitude resources account for a higher proposition than engagement resources and graduation resources,which shows the attitude resources play the main functions in Xi's speeches.Attitude resources accounts for 71.52% of appraisal resources.Engagement resources account for 16.51%,while graduation resources account for 11.97%.Secondly,in terms of attitude resources,they are used to show that China always follows the pace of the times and adheres to the path of green,low-carbon,inclusive,open,sustainable development and peaceful cooperation.At the same time,it shows that China,as the world's second largest economy,is ready to take responsibility in the face of new challenges.Besides,China is capable and determined to unite with other countries to overcome all difficulties.With regard to engagement resources,both dialogic contraction resources and dialogic expansion resources play important roles in Xi's diplomatic speeches.President Xi has flexible application of different engagement resources.As for China's own problems such as China's development and China's nuclear security,President Xi prefers to use dialogic contraction resources to eliminate external voices,persuading the audience to stand in the same position.As for issues of international concern,such as trade,investment,cooperation and development,dialogic expansion resources are used to accept different opinions,showing that China is willing to work with the international community to create a peaceful and stable environment and a better future.The use of graduation resources has further clarified the President Xi's stance and attitude,emphasizing China's responsibility and due obligation.The distribution of appraisal resources in Xi's speeches shows China's responsible attitudes towards the global issues.Thirdly,The use of appraisal resources help to deliver China's voice that Chinese people and Chinese government always adhere to peaceful development,always pursue win-win cooperation and make more contribution to the world,which contributes to the construction of the national image of China as a responsible power.