Sino-us Political Discourse Comparative Analysis

Through analysis of linguistic features in discourse, Critical Discourse Analysis seeks to expose the ideological meanings behind the linguistic structure, to reveal the relationship between language, power and ideology, and to help the public with critical reading. The present thesis conducts a comparative critical analysis of Chinese and American political discourses by employing Fairclough's three-dimensional framework and Systemic Functional Grammar put forward by Halliday. Ten pairs of speeches and interviews from the two nations' leaders are analyzed, using the tools of metafunctions in Systemic Functional Grammar. Through the analysis of the formation and comprehension processes of these political discourses, differences in ideology behind the language are found. Analysis of these discourses in their social and historical context reveals that discourse and social structure have mutual effects on each other.