| The evaluative language serves as a cornerstone for the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationship. Martin approached Appraisal Theory and concentrated on evaluative lexis. Nevertheless, the research limits evaluative resources as specific words, without admitting the importance of metaphor. However, since the publication of Metaphors We Live By, the cognitive nature of metaphor has been acknowledged. In the thesis forty pieces of business news are selected from Economists and Economy Observer, compiling two corpora named as CEBN and CCBN to investigate evaluative functions of conceptual metaphors within the framework of Appraisal Theory.Detailed corpora investigation suggests the common situation in English and Chinese business news: Initially, the general distribution of evaluative resources reflects an evidential concentration on the attitudinal function; additionally, in the attitudinal resources, appreciation is more preferred in both English and Chinese business news; finally, in the graduation system force is much more favored.In terms of the dissimilarities, the evaluative functions are mainly realized through ontological metaphors in English while in Chinese structural metaphors are more employed; also, positive attitudinal meanings of conceptual metaphors are clearly preferred in English business news; eventually, dialogic expansion is more preferred to realize evaluative functions and to negotiate with potential readers.The causes of similarities and dissimilarities are explored through the function of business news and different cultural background as well as some other social factors. The present study makes further advancement and development of Appraisal Theory and provides a new perspective to the study on metaphor; as for the practical significance, it enables people to better understand business news, and reduce misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication. Also, this study can benefit business English writing. |
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