A Corpus-assisted Critical Discourse Study Of China's Image In Mainstream Newspapers Of China And The U.S.

With the continuing advancement of China's comprehensive political,social,and economic strength,China has become a global icon of sorts,drawing increasing attention both at home and abroad.Previous studies have shown how the image of China as constructed by the western media differs in some respects from its representations in Chinese media.One aim of this research is to evaluate and promote China's positive image on the global stage and broadcast the great “Chinese Dream”.The research is based upon news reports published in 2018 by China Daily and The New York Times,and is conducted in accordance with the guidelines of Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)with the support of a corpus linguistic methodology and a detailed discourse-historical approach.In order to discern and identify the image of China as portrayed by these two media sources,discursive analytic strategies also are employed.Basic findings show that(1)the image of China is constructed differently by the two newspapers: While China Daily constructs a positive image of China and pays more attention to economic issues,The New York Times holds a comparatively neutral attitude toward and focuses on politics;(2)discursive strategies applied by the two newspapers have both similarities and differences;(3)the news as constructed by the two media sources reflects their own particular national ideologies and interests.In order to promote a more positive global image of China,suitable discursive strategies can and should be employed:(1)the strategy of nomination,which is useful in the process of identity construction by distinguishing the in-group and out-group,should be exploited frequently;(2)the strategy of predication can help to establish a positive image of China by predicting which positive meanings can be exploited most effectively;(3)the application of the strategy of perspectivization can prove useful in establishing authority and credibility.Therefore,discourse plays a significant role in the process of national image construction.It is therefore meaningful to investigate specifically how various discursive strategies can be applied to improve overall communication.