| This article is a piece of work in the specified field of journalistic linguistics as well as a combined research of pragmatics and critical linguistics.Any academic research is the unification of goals, problems and methods. Chinese linguistics research often treats the study of news language either as corpus analysis of texts and/or grammar or a type of stylistic analysis. News language embodies, nevertheless, the dissemination process of public information as well as social ideology. Its modernity is in fact a reflection of contemporary socio-cultural life. It also shapes the modern language used in various socio-cultural contexts. It is obvious that news language has taken up the pioneering role of serving for the modernization of social ideology.As a result, this article aims to:first, analyze sequence of referential expression in Chinese news language in order to learn its nature, characteristics and formative causation. It also serves to enrich linguistic awareness for sequence of referential expression as a whole. Second, investigate on specific examples of sequence of referential expression in order to find out the problems and difficulties existing in the development of Chinese news language, to understand the difficult yet effective progress made in the modernization process of Chinese news language, and to learn the ways in promoting the activation, democratization and internationalization of Chinese news language and the whole socio-linguistic life as well.The primary question this article strives to answer is:How does the Chinese news language reflect, and in the meantime shape, the modernization process of Chinese society? This article argues that as a nation of thousands of years of patriarchal clan system, contemporary China has been taking great steps towards modernization. News reporting in China has the feature of an information monopoly in a high degree, yet it is undergoing tremendous transformation. The Chinese language is an isolated language in terms of linguistic unions and its most important grammar is word order, of which the sequence of referential expression is an important manifestation. Therefore, this article chooses to research on sequence of referential expression in Chinese news language as it is not only a unique problem to China’s modernization, but also essential to the study of the Chinese language.The methodology adopted by this article is a combination of critical linguistics, "news speech act analysis" and conceptual historical views, and the major corpora data comes from all issues of Renmin Daily ever since its very first edition.Proceeding from the re-definition of "news language" and "sequence of referential expression", this article discusses the fundamental nature and categories of journalistic linguistics. It points out that there are two major types of sequence of referential expression:general sequence and important sequence. The two types have very different pragmatic usages. Previous studies have revealed the rules of general sequence in news language, while those of important sequence have yet to be analyzed. Modern society is in an era of "information explosion" and not all information is "news". News is what the target audience needs the most. Consequently, we need to analyze, first and foremost, the important figures, places and organizations that have a better chance of exerting direct impacts on socio-cultural life.Based on this, this article first analyzes the sequence of referential expression for important figures appeared in news reporting with a focus on its connection with a nation’s democratization process. It reveals the fact that in news reporting, crucial figures are always referred to in rigid accordance with their official ranks or professional titles, which seriously overlooks the principle of correlation and legibility in news reporting.Second, this article discusses the relationship between sequence of referential expression and diplomatic entity by taking a close look at the sequence of referential expression for important place names in news language. It demonstrates that for place names of a disputed area between two sovereign entities, to call it "Dokdo Island (Japanese Takeshima Island’) " or "Takeshima Island (South Korean ’Dokdo Island’)" is not only a matter of linguistic objectivity in news reporting, but also an issue of the accurate and appropriate expression of a nation’s news stance and the right to speak. It further concerns the safeguarding of the national image and interests. In this part, it is discovered that the sequence of referential expression for place names of disputed areas should abide by the three principles of "journalistic objectivity", "national interests" and "pragmatic order". To put it more specifically, differentiation between original and relayed speeches, between direct and indirect quotations, and between the title and the body of a news article should be emphasized; matching between the actor and the act should be observed.Then this article investigates the relationship between the changes of sequence of referential expression and the progress achieved in our social legalization through the analysis of the sequence of referential expression for essential authorities.The relationship between the changes of sequence of referential expression and the modernization process of social ideologies in our country is also investigated by examining the sequence of referential expression for political core terminology.Moreover, this article explores sequence of referential expression with other particular features, such as those for modern religion, for ethnical parties and for entities in world affairs. By analyzing these sequences, the relationship between the sequential changes and societal diversification is revealed.Finally, this article points out the formative causation and pragmatic principles applicable to sequence of referential expression of news language from the perspectives of "news speech act analysis", categorization and relevance theories. Suggestions as to how to speed up the modernization process of Chinese news language and how to reform sequence of referential expression for essential elements in Chinese news reporting are put forward.
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