摘要
This paper studies how different cultural values and rhetorical traditions may influence students＇ perceptions and understanding of effective ethos in persuasive essays. Fifty Chinese EFL （English as a foreign language） college students and 50 American college students participated in writing English persuasive essays on the selected topics. The essays were then compared for similarities and differences in the use of rhetorical appeals with a focus on ethos, the credibility, and trustworthiness of an author. The study revealed that participants from both groups established ethos as an important rhetorical tool to persuade the audience to accept their viewpoints. However, they displayed different perceptions of what effective ethos entailed. For Chinese participants, effective ethos seemed to come from using detailed explanations that reflected an author＇s intention to advocate an ethical or moral message based on some Chinese cultural values. But, strong ethos for American participants appeared to mean the use of evidence--facts and personal testimony--to establish the writer＇s trustworthiness. The interpretation of the results from the perspective of different cultural value orientations was also discussed.
