《金融时报》对中国“一带一路”新闻报道的隐性评价分析_英语论文

Implicit Evaluation of Financial Times’ Reports on “Belt and Road” Initiative 

摘要

马丁提出的评价理论已被广泛应用于商业广告语篇、文学语篇以及历史语篇分析，然而鲜有学者将其应用于新闻语篇分析。本文选取英国《金融时报》从2013至2017年间有关中国“一带一路”新闻报道共15篇为语料，运用马丁的隐性评价理论，采用定量与定性分析相结合的方法，分析其报道对中国“一带一路”倡议的态度和观点，从而揭示报道背后的意识形态。

隐性评价是相对于显性评价而言的，其主要实现方式为唤起和激发。研究发现，唤起策略方面，《金融时报》新闻报道多用中性转述动词或引用他人言辞等隐性评价手法，借此隐晦表达对中国“一带一路”倡议的评价，比如，称该倡议的实质为地缘政治扩张，中国的崛起对世界各国构成了威胁等。激发策略方面，《金融时报》新闻报道采用强化与反期望的隐性评价手法，旨在突显中国的地缘政治扩张；还使用隐喻及对比的隐性评价手法将该倡议与“马歇尔计划”相比较，从而加深读者对“一带一路”的负面看法。总之，《金融时报》擅于潜移默化地将其负面态度包裹于字里行间。本文则揭示了其新闻报道中隐性评价的实现机制，以引导读者树立批评性阅读意识。

关键词：评价理论；隐性评价；“一带一路”；《金融时报》

Abstract

Appraisal theory proposed by Martin has been widely applied to discourse analysis of commercial advertising, literature and history. However, few scholars have applied it into news discourse. This paper, based on fifteen extracts from Financial Times’ reports on China’s “Belt and Road” Initiative from 2013 to 2017, analyzes its appraisal attitude and opinions on the Initiative by adopting quantitative and qualitative methods so as to reveal the newspaper’s ideologies and values hidden in these reports. 

Implicit evaluation is relatively different from explicit evaluation. And it can be achieved by devices including evocation and provocation. From evocation’s perspective, it is found that those reports which employ the neutral reporting verbs, quotations, and other evaluative devices carry implicitly attitude towards the Initiative. For example, the purpose of the Initiative is to achieve geopolitical expansion; the rise of China has posed a threat to the West. From the provocation’s perspective, these reports have been employed devices such as intensification and counter-expectancy to underline China’s geopolitical expansion. By virtue of metaphor and contrast, these reports regard the Initiative as the second Marshall Plan so as to deepen readers’ negative attitude towards the Initiative. To sum up, Financial times excels in conveying implicitly its negative attitude in news discourse, and the devices of its implicit evaluation on the Initiative are explored in this paper, which is expected to lead the readers to set up critical consciousness in news reading.

Key words: Appraisal Theory; implicit evaluation; “Belt and Road” Initiative; Financial Times