Analyzing COVID-19 Discourse on Twitter: Text Clustering and Classification Models for Public Health Surveillance

Social media has revolutionized the dissemination of real-life information,serving as a robust platform for sharing life events.Twitter,characterized by its brevity and continuous flow of posts,has emerged as a crucial source for public health surveillance,offering valuable insights into public reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.This study aims to leverage a range of machine learning techniques to extract pivotal themes and facilitate text classification on a dataset of COVID-19 outbreak-related tweets.Diverse topic modeling approaches have been employed to extract pertinent themes and subsequently form a dataset for training text classification models.An assessment of coherence metrics revealed that the Gibbs Sampling Dirichlet Mixture Model(GSDMM),which utilizes trigram and bag-of-words(BOW)feature extraction,outperformed Non-negative Matrix Factorization(NMF),Latent Dirichlet Allocation(LDA),and a hybrid strategy involving Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers(BERT)combined with LDA and K-means to pinpoint significant themes within the dataset.Among the models assessed for text clustering,the utilization of LDA,either as a clustering model or for feature extraction combined with BERT for K-means,resulted in higher coherence scores,consistent with human ratings,signifying their efficacy.In particular,LDA,notably in conjunction with trigram representation and BOW,demonstrated superior performance.This underscores the suitability of LDA for conducting topic modeling,given its proficiency in capturing intricate textual relationships.In the context of text classification,models such as Linear Support Vector Classification(LSVC),Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM),Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory(BiLSTM),Convolutional Neural Network with BiLSTM(CNN-BiLSTM),and BERT have shown outstanding performance,achieving accuracy and weighted F1-Score scores exceeding 80%.These results significantly surpassed other models,such as Multinomial Naive Bayes(MNB),Linear Support Vector Machine(LSVM),and Logistic Regression(LR),which achieved scores in the range of 60 to 70 percent.

The Translation of Allusions in Political Discourse:An Intertextuality Perspective

drawn from ancient classics are the treasures of traditional Chinese culture.The allusions used in Xi Jinping:The Governance of China illustrate a distinctive feature of political discourse,and the publication of its English version provides a valuable opportunity for the study of allusions in translated political discourse.With the English translations of 241 allusions collected from two volumes of the book,we classified these allusions into three categories of history,culture,and literature based on their original sources.Then we analyzed the strategies used in translating the allusions,and provided typical examples to illustrate the use of such translation strategies for each category.Finally,we tried to account for the use of these strategies in light of the intertextuality theory.

Review of Accessing Academic Discourse:Systemic Functional Linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory

Accessing Academic Discourse:Systemic Functional Linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory,was edited by J.R.Martin,Karl Maton and Y.J.Doran and published by Routledge in 2020.This volume explores the dialogue with Legitimation Code Theory(LCT)from the viewpoint of systemic functional linguistics(SFL).“Systemic functional linguistics(SFL)is a long-established and widely known approach to understanding language.Legitimation Code Theory(LCT)is a younger and rapidly growing approach to exploring and shaping knowledge practices”(p.1).They have become widely used to access academic discourse by a growing number of systemic scholars and educators.

Writing AIDS,Deconstructing Politicized Discourses on the Body:AIDS in Post-apartheid South African Novels by Mpe and Mhlongo

HIV/AIDS has been one of the most serious health concerns in South Africa over the past 30 years.Novels such as Welcome to Our Hillbrow,Dog Eat Dog,and After Tears are literary responses to the profound shame and fear inflicted by the epidemic on individuals and society.These AIDS narratives serve as a means to deconstruct politicized discourses about the disease.They scrutinize the stereotype that the voracious sexuality of black men is the primary cause of AIDS and challenges the xenophobic notion of contagious foreigners prevalent in post-apartheid South Africa.Additionally,the novels critically examine and satirize the denialist discourse propagated by incompetent politicians who have failed to contain the virus in post-apartheid South Africa.By representing the conflicting voices surrounding HIV/AIDS,these writings vividly depict the social and political landscape of the era.

The Identity and Discourse in Georgian and Turkey Diplomatic Relations Between 2002-2022

This article’s primary objective is to answer the question of what is the semantic language of identity and interests of Turkey and Georgia?In addition,it analyzes the connotative quotes that exchanged between the two countries during diplomatic visits.Because the article concentrated on the remarks that were stressed during visits and meetings that took place between the years 2002 and 2022,it was necessary to search through 150 news on civil.ge site and filter down to 35 news before applying the content analysis.The AntConc corpus analysis was used in order to comprehend the nature of the political conversation between both countries.According to the findings,the constructivism of core theme that claim states view each other via the identity through interaction was verified.The purpose of the research is to provide a contribution to the study of the identities and interests of Georgia and Turkey who are good neighbors.

Personification in Chinese Diplomatic Discourse and the Construction of National Identity Based on Corpus:A Case Study of the Regular Press Conference of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

With the development of the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics,diplomatic discourse,as an important part of building China’s international discourse power,has attracted much attention.Personification is a common means in diplomatic discourse.By giving anthropomorphic expressions to countries,regions,institutions and policies,the purpose of building national identity and establishing national image can be achieved.Based on conceptual metaphor theory and national identity theory,this paper focuses on personification in diplomatic discourse with a case study of the regular press conference of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.It is found that the spokesperson skillfully constructed China’s positive national identity,such as peace-loving,openness and inclusiveness by using a large number of body metaphor,kinship metaphor and role metaphor.

On Zero Translation in News Discourse

In the context of globalization,zero translation words are more and more frequently used in news discourse.This article aims to explore the reasons for the frequent use of zero translation words in news discourse and their impact on news discourse from the perspectives of translation studies and journalism and communication studies.

Ecological Discourse Analysis Based on the Corpus-A Case Study on the Environmental Discourse of 21st Century

Language learning materials not only provide language input for learners but also subtly disseminate ideology and influence readers’behavior.This study,based on the framework of ecological discourse analysis,quantitatively analyzes and qualitatively describes the ecological significance of environmental texts in the 21st Century.The aim is to provide references for the compilation of environmental discourse in language learning materials,promote the construction of more ecologically beneficial discourse,and facilitate the widespread dissemination of the ecological philosophy of“Diversity and Harmony,Interaction and Co-existence”among young readers.The initial findings of this study are as follows:In the environmental texts of the publication,a large number of relational processes and action processes are used to objectively represent the natural environment;the discourse tends to be ambiguous and beneficial,generally aligning with the ecological philosophy of“Diversity and Harmony,Interaction and Co-existence.”This can guide readers to correctly understand and face environmental issues,which is conducive to the healthy development of natural ecosystems.

The Youth’s View of Marriage in Chinese Mainstream Media Discourse-A Corpus-assisted Three-dimensional Discourse Analysis

The rising of aging and the declining of birth rates have forced the public to focus on the youth’s view on marriage.Based on critical discourse analysis and combined with Fairclough’s three-dimensional discourse analysis model,this paper builds a“Chinese media News Report Corpus on the topic of‘marriage’”whose news are collected from China Daily.It is found that the discourses are neutral and objective with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of marriage,but in general,it is still a traditional view of marriage that is inevitable and closely related to fertility.Although this is controlled by the policies and the social reasons including declining fertility rate,it deviates from the current view of the youth towards marriage,resulting in many serious consequences such as young people’s rejection.In addition,this research found that male and female have great differences in their views on marriage,and men’s resistance to marriage is far greater than that of women,which is departure from the public’s cognition.The reasons behind this need to be explored in order to solve the marriage and love problems of young people in today’s era and realize the healthy development of young marriage.

English Translation of Chinese Natural Ecological Discourse:A Corpus-based Case Study on Xi Jinping:The Governance of China

Amid the increasingly severe global natural eco-environment,it is necessary to build a natural ecological civilization by constructing an ecological civilization discourse.Against this background,this study compiles a corpus of natural ecological discourse in the English translation of Xi Jinping:The Governance of China(short for Xi).By using Wordsmith and AntConc,this study explores the linguistic features of the ecological discourse in English translation of Xi in the following dimensions,including high-frequency words,keywords,word collocations,concordance lines.This study aims to analyze the concepts and attitudes towards natural ecology,so as to provide certain valuable insights for the construction of China’s discourse on natural ecological civilization.The study found that the natural ecology discourse involving in the English translation of Xi turned out to be ecologically beneficial.

Six-Dimensional Guidance: The Strategies of Thinking Quality Cultivation in Senior High School English Discourse Learning

Taking the discourse learning of the new senior high school English textbook published by the People’s Education Press as an example,combined with the“six-dimensional guidance”deep reading strategy,and through the six-skill training strategies of“memory skill training,understanding skill training,application skill training,analytical skill training,evaluation skill training,creative skill training,”this paper aims to cultivate students’thinking profundity,logic,flexibility,sensitivity,criticality,and originality.It also promotes the real implementation of senior high school English deep reading that points to the cultivation of thinking quality in classroom teaching,and realizes the transformation from“conventional reading”to“deep reading”that reflects the core literacy of the discipline.

An Analysis of Innovative Contributions to the Important Discourse on the Development of New Quality Productivity

The discourse on developing high-quality productivity marks a significant theoretical innovation,which is conducive to the modernization and sinicization of Marxism.It refines our understanding of“new quality productivity,”defining it as an advanced form driven by innovation,embodying“high technology,efficiency,and quality,”with the aim of comprehensively enhancing productivity.It elucidates the necessity of cultivating such forces,asserting that they are crucial for achieving high-quality development,securing a leading position in global technology,and fulfilling the aspirations for a better life.Moreover,it outlines a new implementation route,emphasizing strategies such as fostering technological autonomy,nurturing emerging industries,integrating education and talent in technology,adopting a“build through challenges”approach,adjusting solutions locally,and providing categorized guidance,all of which are based on the ongoing comprehensive reforms.

A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of Lingnan Cultural Promotional Videos on Social Media

In recent years,more and more directors of culture and tourism have taken part in the promotion of local cultural tourism by cross-dressing,talent shows,and pushing their limits on self-media platforms.This study investigates short videos of Lingnan culture promoted by directors general and deputy directors general of the Culture,Radio,Television,Tourism,and Sports Bureau of counties and cities in Guangdong Province on social media by the method of multimodal critical discourse analysis.The analysis of 33 videos shows that Lingnan culture is a domineering and confident culture,historical culture,graceful and elegant culture,and vibrant and active culture.Domineering and confident culture is embedded in the utterances and behaviors of the directors general or deputy directors general in the video.Historical culture is realized through the conversation with historical figures through time travel.Graceful and elegant culture is constructed in the depiction of sceneries and the depiction of characters’manners.Vibrant and active culture is represented in the depiction of the characters’actional process and analytical process.

A Study of the English Translation of Characteristic Cuisines of the Hexi Corridor from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis

Given the diversity of geographical and cultural backgrounds,it is difficult to find precise counterparts of many food-related vocabularies in the unique dietary culture of the Hexi Corridor in the target language,making it challenging to fully convey the essence of its local dietary culture in translation.To achieve the purpose of translation,the theory of multimodal discourse analysis provides an ideal translation approach through the language mode,image mode,sound mode,and the synergistic effect of multimodalities,which can accurately address the deficiencies in the translation of dietary culture.Through this research,it is not only possible to highlight the unique charm of the dietary culture of the Hexi Corridor but also to build a bridge for its international dissemination,promoting cross-border cultural exchanges and mutual understanding.

Discourse Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative From the Perspective of Central Asian Countries: A Case Study of the Republic of Kazakhstan

This study employs Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)three-dimensional model,using the Republic of Kazakhstan as a case study,to delve into the discourse construction of China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)in Central Asian countries.Through detailed analysis of policy documents,media reports,and public discussions in Central Asian countries,this paper reveals how the BRI constructs specific social practices,discourse events,and textual meanings within these nations.The findings indicate that through this global development strategy,China has not only strengthened its economic ties with Central Asian countries but has also exerted profound influences on political,cultural,and social levels.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Cyberbullying Language Based on Text-mining Techniques——A Case Study of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

With the development of AI,a large amount of cyberbullying language flooded into the Internet.Cyberbullying language damages the online environment and causes mental harm to the victims of online bullying.Many researchers,therefore,have paid much attention to the problem.This study collected online comments targeted at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as a corpus and then analyzed text data based on Critical Discourse Analysis by using text-mining tools to explore the factors that contribute to the social ideological effects of the cyberbullying language.The research results show that cultural differences,prejudice,or social exclusion due to race or gender form cyberbullying on social media.

New Public Sphere and Public Discourse in the Context of Globalisation

This paper explores the concept of the new public sphere and public discourse in the context of globalisation.It starts by analyzing how globalisation has affected the emergence of the new public sphere and the role that digital technologies have played in it.The influence of the new public sphere on public discourse during globalisation is discussed,along with how it has affected accessibility,citizen engagement,and power dynamics.The paper also examines the various issues that the new public sphere during globalisation brings to the forefront of public discourse,such as the increased spread of false information,polarization of opinion,marginalization of oppressed groups,cultural appropriation,privacy concerns,surveillance,censorship,and the digital divide.It concludes by arguing that the new public sphere and public discourse during globalisation can be beneficial but should be managed carefully to ensure it is a positive force for society.

再论Text与Discourse的异同

长期以来,text和discourse是语言学中容易混淆的两个概念。本文对这两个术语从定义、关系、使用和汉译等四个方面进行梳理和探讨,指出两者在意义上有重叠,都可以作为语法单位、语义单位、言语行为和多模态符号,且用法也相同;不同的是,discourse还可以表示更高层次的意义——社会实践,而text则不行。Discourse比text的意义更加宽泛,这与它们的字典释义是一致的。Text和discourse之间存在着以同义和产品—过程关系为主导的各种关系。对它们的汉译要以两者所表达的具体概念为基础,以不产生意义冲突为标准。

Netnews Discourse Analysis:A Textual Perspective

With the advent of Internet age,the audience can enjoy more"autonomy"from the internet than from other media.In consequence,it is said that people can keep"clear-minded"before Netnews,and ideology has been weakened and will even disappear in Netnews. However,from a textual perspective,ideology has been strengthened rather than weakened in Netnews.

A Chinese Story in the Western Context:A Critical Discourse Analysis of Disney's Mulan

Mulan,the cartoon rewritten by Disney based on the traditional Chinese folklore,won tremendous praises globally.Under the theoretical framework of the three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis proposed by Norman Fairclough,this research tries to analyze the unique discourse features of Mulan.By the successive analyses of description,interpretation and explanation,this research studies the discourse strategies of Disney movies represented by Mulan,the transmitted ideologies,the causes of the discourse formation and the social effects of the discourse,providing a paradigm for the establishment of Chinese multicultural discourses.