A Study Of The Persuasive Function Of Metadiscourse In American And Chinese News Commentaries

In the process of communication,to make the listeners understand the intention better,the speakers not only transmit the primary propositional information but also choose appropriate metadiscourse to organize the propositional information and express attitudes as well as opinions.Metadiscourse is a linguistic expression used to organize discourse,express the speakers’ point of view,and involve the listeners’ response.Hyland(2005)divides metadiscourse into two categories,interactive metadiscourse and interactional metadiscourse,where each category contains five subcategories.Metadiscourse can achieve the rhetorical function of discourse by constructing the text structure,expressing the authors’ attitude and enhancing the interaction between the communicative parties.From the perspective of Aristotle’s rhetorical persuasion,metadiscourse constructs discourse from three aspects: rational appeal,credible appeal,and affective appeal.Then metadiscourse helps communicators to achieve the purpose of persuasion.Scholars at home and abroad have conducted a large number of empirical studies on metadiscourse in different genres of discourse.Still,there is a lack of research on metadiscourse in Chinese and English news commentaries.Based on the different cultural backgrounds and linguistic characteristics of China and the United States,the thesis analyzes how Chinese and American news commentary writers use metadiscourse to achieve persuasion.The research data for this thesis are obtained from news commentaries in China Daily and The Washington Post.A total of 30 months of coverage from December 2019 to June 2022 are selected,and one news commentary on COVID-19 epidemic is selected for each month.Based on Hyland’s interpersonal metadiscourse theory,this thesis analyzes the specific use of metadiscourse in Chinese and American news commentaries on COVID-19.Then it analyzes the persuasive function of metadiscourse in Chinese and American news commentaries under the guidance of Aristotle’s three models of rhetorical persuasion,and finally summarizes how the persuasive function of metadiscourse differs in distinct cultural contexts of China and America,aiming to answer the following questions:(1)What are the characteristics of the distribution of metadiscourse in Chinese and American news commentaries?(2)What are the similarities and differences of metadiscourse in Chinese and American news commentaries?(3)How does metadiscourse achieve persuasive function in Chinese and American news commentaries?The study shows that:(1)American authors use metadiscourse more frequently than Chinese authors in general,and both Chinese and American authors use interactional metadiscourse more than interactive metadiscourse.For interactive metadiscourse,Chinese authors focus on the use of evidentials,while American authors use more code glosses.In terms of interactional metadiscourse,Chinese authors use a combination of boosters and attitude markers,while American authors use a combination of self-mentions and attitude markers.(2)In interactive metadiscourse,transitions are the most frequently used by Chinese and American authors,while endophoric markers are the least frequently used.In interactional metadiscourse,American authors use self-mentions much more frequently than Chinese authors,while Chinese authors use attitude markers in a way that differs significantly from American authors.Genre conventions are the reason why Chinese and American authors have similarities in their use of metadiscourse,while Chinese and American authors’ national and organizational cultures as well as personal preferences together contribute to the differences in their use of metadiscourse.(3)In terms of the persuasive function of metadiscourse,transitions,code glosses,and frame markers help authors organize their arguments logically and achieve the rational appeal of their articles.Evidentials,hedges,boosters,and self-mentions help authors establish a responsible image and realize the credible appeal of the articles.Engagement markers,attitude markers,and self-mentions help authors guide readers to participate in discourse interaction and achieve affective appeal.