A Study On The Pragmatic Strategies Of China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks

This paper explores the pragmatic strategies performed by the China Foreign MinistrySpokesperson in their remarks in responding to the news press. The 41 literal records are drawnrandomly from the totally 82 literal records of the spokesperson's remarks in the news releaseconference of the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Firstly, we divide the journalist' s questions into two groups according to what they want toget : the questions about the foreign affairs and the questions about standpoints on the foreignaffairs. Then, we analyze the pragmatic strategies used in answering these two groups ofquestions.The research result shows that, the pragmatic strategies can be divided into three differentlevels. The first level is formed by two groups. Group One: offering information or avoidingoffering information; Group Two: answering directly or answering indirectly. Based on the firstlevel, the second level pragmatic strategies are divided into four types: offering informationdirectly, offering information indirectly and, avoiding offering information directly and avoidingoffering information indirectly. Through further study, we find a third level of pragmaticstrategies. In answering the questions about foreign affairs, there are three different pragmaticstrategies used to avoid offering information indirectly: answering vaguely, transferring thefocusing point, and making excuse skillfully. In answering the questions about the standpoints onforeign affairs, we conclude that, the following three types of pragmatic strategies are employedto offer information indirectly, namely using indirect reference, affirming in order to negative,opposing by approving partly. While in order to avoid offering information indirectly, thestrategies answering vaguely, transferring the focusing point, and narrating are used.In conclusion, in answering the two groups of questions, both the first and the second levelpragmatic strategies are the same. While the third level pragmatic strategies are slightly differentin answering indirectly. And the distribution of avoiding offering information is not equal inanswering these two groups of questions: the distribution of avoiding offering informationdirectly and indirectly is not equal, so is the distribution of the low level strategies of avoidingoffering information indirectly.