西方媒体关于中国疫情新闻的及物性分析——以《经济学人》一篇报道为例

Transitivity Analysis on Chinese Epidemic News from Western Media——Taking a Report from“The Economist”as an Example

新冠疫情在全球的爆发及中国强有力的抗疫举措受到国外媒体的重点报道。西方新闻语篇作为常见的英语学习素材,通过语言传递的隐性立场需要学习者们清醒地认识和辨别。系统功能语言学的及物性理论为这一认识提供了视角和理论框架。该文以《经济学人》中一篇语料分析为例,计算该文的六种及物性过程,结合句例分析该文主要及物类型的参与者、环境成分和过程,指出其可能影响读者的西方主观立场、刻板印象和意识形态。由此,英语学习者应提高对国外媒体试图进行语言操控的敏感性,树立对语篇的反控制及批判性阅读意识。

The outbreaks of COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese efficient measures to fight against it have been the focus of Western media reports recently.In reading these news discourses,English learners should clearly realize and identify the implicit standpoints conveyed through English language,for which the perspective of transitivity based on the Systematic Functional Linguistics provides the theoretical framework.Taking a report in“The Economist”as an example,this paper presents the proportion of each transitivity process type.Also,the participants,circumstantial elements and process of four main types in clauses have also been discussed to reveal the Western stereotype about Chinese and their ideology that are likely to influence English learners.Therefore,it is of great significance to enhance the English leaners’sensitivity of identifying the Western media’s attempts of language manipulation and to establish the consciousness of anti-control and critical reading.