A Comparative Study Of The Persuasive Function Of Metadiscourse In American And Chinese Opinion Articles On Sino-US Trade Disputes

This thesis sets out to explore the similarities and differences in the use of metadiscourse resources between Chinese and American opinion articles on Sion-US trade disputes,as well as the role that metadiscourse markers play in the construction and attainment of persuasion.For this purpose,a corpus of 60 opinion articles on Sino-US trade disputes(30 by American writers and 30 by Chinese EFL authors)published in China Daily and The Washington Post from January 2018 to March 2019 are randomly collected and examined using Hyland's(2005)model of metadiscourse.The AntConc Tool is adopted to find out the differences in incidence of these markers.Chi-square test further confirms whether these differences are significant or not.Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are adopted in this study.Based on Hyland's(2005)interpersonal model of metadiscourse,the frequency and distribution of each category of metadiscourse across the two corpora are examined.The quantitative findings disclose the existence of both similarities and differences.On one hand,in both corpora interactional metadiscourse far outnumbers interactive metadiscourse.Besides,in terms of interactive metadiscourse,the frequency of transition markers ranks first in both corpora,whereas frame markers and endophoric markers are the two least frequently used devices in both corpora.With regard to interactional metadiscourse,hedges rank first in both corpora with self-mentions ranking the last in both corpora.On the other hand,drastic differences can be discovered in the frequency of metadiscourse subcategories across the corpora,demonstrating Chinese and American authors' different preferences and patterns.On the basis of Aristotle's three rhetorical means of persuasion,the qualitative analyses exemplify how different types of metadiscoursal resources help realize different rhetorical appeals.In opinion articles on Sino-US trade disputes,transitions,code glosses and frame markers contribute to rational appeals as they help the writers link the arguments in a logical,coherent and reasonable way.Evidentials,hedges,boosters as well as self-mentions promote credible appeals by creating a confident,credible,and responsible image.Attitude markers,engagement markers,self-mentions and hedges facilitate the achievement of affective appeals by including the readers into texts as participants.Combined with the quantitative results,the qualitative analyses also reveal different reliance on the three means of persuasion in the two corpora.For example,Chinese writers tend to tap significantly less on pathos and ethos than their American counterparts.The results disclose that genre conventions have a determining role in the writers' choice of some metadiscourse resources that contribute to some similarities in the use and distribution of metadiscourse resources across the two corpora.The observed differences are mainly attributed to different cultural/linguistic backgrounds of both groups of columnists.Specifically,national culture,organizational culture as well as writers' personal influence co-determine the choice of metadiscourse resources in Chinese and American opinion articles.It is hoped that this study can provide some enlightenment for Chinese opinion article writers as to how to use metadiscourse more effectively to enhance persuasive force in the face of international readers.Meanwhile,EFL(English as a Foreign Language)learners can enrich their understanding of the effects of metadiscourse and enhance their rhetorical awareness.