Effective Presentation Of Information Through Intertextuality In Chinese Civil Complaints

This thesis analyzes the phenomenon of intertextuality in Chinese civil complaints. It studies what types of intertextuality are used in Chinese civil complaints. The aim of this study is to describe the important functions of intertextuality in Chinese civil complaints and to reveal how intertextuality helps lawyers to present information effectively in writing civil complaints.Following the model of typology of intertextuality proposed by Hatim & Mason, we identify five types of "manifest" intertextuality and four types of "constitutive" intertextuality in the collected data. They are: reference, cliche, quotation and self-quotation, conventionalism, proverb and idiom; generic intertextualtiy, thematic/topical intertextuality, structural intertextualtiy and functional intertextuality. Detailed analysis reveals that each of these types of intertextuality is used frequently by lawyers in writing civil complaints.The research shows that intertextuality plays a crucial role in the presentation of information in Chinese civil complaints. Lawyers, consciously or unconsciously, resort to the use of intertextuality in the effective presentation of three kinds of information in writing civil complaints, namely: the basic information of the plaintiff and the defendant, the claims of the civil litigation and the facts and reasons of the case.The present study may add to the existing body of work on intertextuality and may help to gain deeper insight into the use of intertextuality in Chinese civil complaints. It is hoped that the investigation into intertertextuality in Chinese civil complaints can be useful in throwing light on the use of intertextuality in other kinds of legal documents at large.