Introducing Chinese Discourse
Routledge (Verlag)
978-0-367-64982-1 (ISBN)
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Bo Wang and Yuanyi Ma are Associate research fellows (full-time), Associate research fellow (full-time), School of International Studies, Sun Yat-sen University. Yuanyi Ma is a Lecturer of Guangdong Polytechnic of Science and Technology.
Part I A Text Typology and Analytical Approaches
Chapter 1 Categorizing Chinese Discourse
Chapter 1 is expected to provide a brief account of the terms related to Chinese discourse and to orient the proposed book within the broader area of linguistics. We first delineate the concept of discourse/text by locating it along the hierarchy of stratification and the cline of instantiation in systemic functional linguistics (e.g. Halliday & Matthiessen 2014).
The dimension of stratification organizes language in context as a hierarchy of strata, including context, the content plane of language (semantics and lexicogrammar) and the expression plane of language (phonology and phonetics in spoken language or graphology and graphetics in written language). The strata are related to each other by way of realization. Seen from the perspective of stratification, discourse/text is located in the stratum of semantics as a semantic unit.
The dimension of instantiation is a cline that links the instance (text) with the potential (system of language). Between the two poles of the cline, there are intermediate patterns, viz. the instance types seen from the instance pole (text types operating in situation types) or subpotentials from the potential pole (registers operation in institutional domains). Seen from the perspective of instantiation, discourse/text is located at the instance end of the cline.
Then, we discuss the specificity of Chinese discourse and characterize Chinese discourse by following Matthiessen’s (e.g. 2014, 2015a, 2015b) functional text typology, which includes eight primary text types (namely “expounding”, “reporting”, “recreating”, “sharing”, “doing”, “enabling”, “recommending” and “exploring”) and various sub-types that are based on the contextual parameter of field, i.e. what is going on (cf. Halliday 1978; Halliday & Hasan 1985; see Figure 1).
Further, we will explain how these eight primary types are grouped into three major categories as process of meaning (semiotic processes), process of behaving (social processes) and a transition between the two (semiotic processes potentially leading to social processes). Following this approach, Chinese discourse is classified according to the eight above-mentioned types, and Chapter 3 to Chapter 10 will each focus on one of the eight types (see Table 1; cf. Halliday 2002 for application of SFL to the analysis of both highly valued and everyday discourse).
Figure 1 The eight primary fields of activity and their subtypes (Adapted from Matthiessen 2015a: 57)
Table 1 Some examples of texts characterized according to the socio-semiotic processes
socio-semiotic process some examples of texts
social processes “doing”
(see Chapter 3) “directing” service encounter; administrative directive; (real-time) direction
“collaborating” team work; game
semiotic processes potentially leading to social processes “enabling”
(see Chapter 4) “instructing” demonstration; procedure
“regulating” regulation; law; agreement; declaration; letter of admonishment
“recommending”
(see Chapter 5) “promoting” advertisement; commercial; promotional letter
“advising” (professional) consultation; advice column; public warning
semiotic processes “exploring”
(see Chapter 6) “arguing” exposition; discussion; debate
“reviewing” review; opinion
“rallying” speech; sermon; editorial
“expounding”
(see Chapter 7) “explaining” explanation in textbook;
explanation in journal article
“categorizing” report in textbook; taxonomic report; report in journal article
“reporting”
(see Chapter 8) “chronicling” biography; news article; historical recount; forecast; running commentary; procedure recount; blog; log
“surveying” topographic report; scene report
“inventorying” inventory; menu; product list
“sharing”
(see Chapter 9) “sharing experiences” casual conversation; personal letter; email; text message; chat session; diary; personal blog; micro blog (weibo)
“sharing
values”
“recreating”
(see Chapter 10) “narrating” novel; short story; myth; legend; folk story
“dramatizing” play; screen play; teleplay; cross talk
Chapter 2 Theoretical Perspectives of Approaching Chinese Discourse
In Chapter 2, we introduce the various theories that are suitable for discourse analysis. As elaborated in Chapter 1, text/discourse is located in semantics in terms of stratification, the linguistic approaches are then distinguished according to Halliday’s (e.g. 1978, 1979, 1996) trinocular vision as those from below, from roundabout and from above. Firstly, approaching from above means from the vantage point of context by examining the contextual parameters of field, tenor and mode and the contextual structure. Secondly, the perspective from roundabout involves the approaches from semantics, such as rhetorical relation, progression and speech function. Thirdly, the perspective from below includes the approaches from lexicogrammar, phonology (graphology) and phonetics (graphetics), such as lexicogrammatical analysis based on the systems of THEME, MOOD, MODALITY, TRANSITIVITY, TAXIS, and LOGICO-SEMANTIC TYPE, lexical cohesion and lexical appraisal. We will provide an introduction these “analytical toolkits” and illustrate how SFL analysis can be conducted from these approaches. In Part II, we will apply these methods to text analysis.
Part II Analyzing Chinese Discourse of Different Types
Chapter 3 Doing Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 4 Enabling Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 5 Recommending Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 6 Exploring Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 7 Expounding Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 8 Reporting Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 9 Sharing Discourse in Chinese
Chapter 10 Recreating Discourse in Chinese
Part II of the book is expected to present a comprehensive map of the different types of Chinese discourse. From Chapter 3 to Chapter 10, we will focus on one type of discourse in each chapter. To take Chapter 10 as an example, we will discuss the various recreating texts/discourses in Chinese (see Table 2), and the texts selected are expected to include a poem by Li Bai (Li Po 李白), a ci poem by Su Shi (苏轼), a short passage of Chinese cross talk (相声), a selection of drama, a short story and a song for children. We first characterize each text according to field, tenor and mode. Then we present our text analysis focusing on different perspectives. For instance, for the cross talk, we carry out an interpersonal analysis in systems of MOOD and SPEECH FUNCTION, pointing out which character from the cross talk is playing a major role in the performance and discussing the realization of such tenor relationship in lexicogrammar. For the dramatic text, we analyze an excerpt from Wilderness (原野) – a drama written by Cao Yu (曹禺) in terms of MOOD and MODALITY. For the short story, we will analyze a Chinese myth based on the system of TRANSITIVITY of the experiential grammar of the clause, pointing out how the characters and events are construed in terms of process type. Adopting the principle of trinocular vision, we include the perspectives of “from above”, “from roundabout” and “from below” in our analysis instead of restricting ourselves to one perspective only.
Table 2 Texts to be analyzed in Chapter 10
socio-semiotic process text type data analytical perspective
recreating
narrating poetry in Tang dynasty Thoughts on a Quiet Night (静夜思),
Dawn of Spring (春晓) THEME, MOOD, TRANSITIVITY, RST (Rhetorical Structure Theory)
ci poetry in Song dynasty Prelude to Water Melody: How Long Will the Full Moon Appear (水调歌头·明月几时有) THEME, MOOD, TRANSITIVITY, RST (Rhetorical Structure Theory)
short story (legend) Goddess Chang Flying to the Moon (嫦娥奔月) contextual structure, TRANSITIVITY
dramatizing cross talk Reporting the Dish Names (报菜名) MOOD, SPEECH FUNCTION
drama Wilderness (原野) MOOD, MODALITY
song The Dangerous electric current (危险的电流) MOOD, RST
Part III Epilogue
Chapter 11 Towards a Typology of Chinese Discourse
In Chapter 11, we will first summarize the different text types analyzed in this book in accordance with the text typology presented in Chapter 1. Then we discuss the advantages of this typology, i.e. the approach of viewing text “from above” in relation to the text analyses throughout this book conducted “from roundabout” and “from below”. Finally, we comment on how our typology can be used in different areas of application, such as (i) educational linguistics, (ii) translation studies and translator training, and (iii) language description.
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 16.4.2025 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Routledge Studies in Chinese Discourse Analysis |
| Zusatzinfo | 20 Tables, black and white; 15 Line drawings, black and white; 7 Halftones, black and white; 22 Illustrations, black and white |
| Verlagsort | London |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 156 x 234 mm |
| Themenwelt | Schulbuch / Wörterbuch ► Wörterbuch / Fremdsprachen |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-367-64982-9 / 0367649829 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-367-64982-1 / 9780367649821 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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