| One of the basic functions of language is interpersonal function. In the realization of interpersonal meaning, evaluation plays an important role. Thompson said that evaluation is a central part of the meaning of any text and that any analysis of the interpersonal meanings of a text must take it into account.The Appraisal Theory was first introduced by Martin in the early 1990s. The theory is an extension of interpersonal meaning in Systemic Functional Linguistics and it is also a newly developed theoretical framework which mainly aims at evaluative resources in texts. In the linguistic domain, by Martin's analysis, the Appraisal Theory is composed of the system of Attitude, Graduation and Engagement. Attitude system is the main system in the theory. Attitudinal meanings are categorized into three sub-systems, which are Affect, Judgment and Appreciation. Besides Appraisal Theory, the paper also introduces Contrastive Analysis. The aim of contrastive study is to describe the similarities and differences of two or more languages, especially the differences, in order to help people do language research and to help them find some theoretical instructions for translation, language teaching and compiling bilingual dictionaries.The aim of this thesis is to make a contrastive analysis of the attitude of the two speeches respectively by President Bush and President Hu Jintao, using the appraisal system with a view to reveal what linguistic elements realize the appraisal meaning. And the writer also takes cultural backgrounds into consideration.Through the careful analysis and study of the two texts, this thesis comes to the conclusion that is the two speakers both express their rich affections to the audience. Mr. Hu's speech has more aesthetic value. He thinks highly of the ancient and the long history of his country, and is more prudent and modest. However, Mr. Bush values highly about individualism, and is more at ease. The author hopes this thesis can be valuable for future reference.
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