Implicit Evaluation In English Journalistic Discourse

Evaluation is an important concept in discourse linguistics, about which many scholars have conducted a series of studies. Among these studies, Martin becomes the representative figure of applying evaluation into discourse analysis as the proponent of Appraisal Theory. However, Appraisal Theory mainly focuses on explicit lexis to construe meaning with implicit evaluation ignored. In recent years, scholars at home and abroad have showed their interest in implicit evaluation. Most of their studies are academic discourse and news discourses. News discourses always emphasize its impartiality and objectivity, but the values and ideologies of news reporters are delivered indirectly. Therefore, news discourses are abundant in evaluative meanings.This study adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore implicit evaluative resources of news reports on OBOR initiative, thus to reveal the hidden values and ideologies. This study selects fifteen samples from Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times, and discusses the implicit evaluation within. This study is conducted within Systemic Functional Grammar(SFG) and Appraisal Theory. Based on White’s evaluation framework, the author establishes the analytical structure within news discourse. The framework includes attitudinal inscription and attitudinal token,of which attitudinal token is our research focus. Attitudinal token is analyzed from evocation and provocation. We will discuss evocation from verbal processes and lexical choice and discuss provocation from intensification, counter-expectancy, metaphor and contrast.The findings prove that news reports are not as objective as we used to think. Besides, the study enriches White’s evaluative framework by adding contrast to provocation devices. By means of different linguistic devices, fifteen English news discourses sculpt an authoritarian image of China and implicitly convey the information that OBOR is the best description of China’s political tool to dominate Asia. By analyzing those selected English news discourse, this thesis finds out how those western news agencies implicitly express their ideologies in news discourse, and the author hopes the analysis can arouse people’s critical consciousness in news reading in a certain way.