A study of the construction of China's space image in China daily's reports on the Chinese space station from the perspective of appraisal theory
评价理论视角下《中国日报》中国空间站报道的中国航天形象建构研究

摘要

本研究从评价理论视角，利用UAM Corpus Tool和AntConc等工具对《中国日报》2021年4月29日至2024年4月30日期间关于中国空间站建设的报道中词汇选择、句法结构及修辞特点进行定量定性分析，旨在探讨其如何通过语言策略构建积极正面的中国航天形象。研究发现，《中国日报》相关报道主要通过精准选用判断、情感、鉴赏类积极词汇，综合运用时态、语态和长短句式的多样变化，以及灵活使用排比、类比、对比及反衬等手法，全面立体地展示了中国空间站的技术进步和国际合作成果，成功塑造了“严密规划的执行者”“矢志创新的开拓者”“国际合作的支持者”“科学精神的传播者”等中国航天形象。这些积极形象的建构在营造合作氛围、抵抗舆论霸权、传播科学精神等方面具有重要价值。

Abstract

This study employs tools such as the UAM Corpus Tool and AntConc to analyze the lexical choices, syntactic structures, and rhetorical features from the perspective of Appraisal Theory, of China Daily's reports on the Chinese space station from April 29, 2021, to April 30, 2024, aiming to examine how these reports construct a positive image of the Chinese space program through linguistic strategies. It is found that China Daily predominantly utilizes positive language from the judgment, affect, and appreciation systems. It skillfully uses tenses, voices, and sentence lengths, and rhetorical devices such as parallelism, analogy, and contrast. These strategies work together to create a vivid and multi-dimensional portrayal of the technological progress of the Chinese space station and its international cooperation achievements. Consequently, the reports in China Daily successfully construct images such as "the executor of meticulous planning" "the pioneer of unwavering innovation" "the supporter of international cooperation" and "the disseminator of scientific spirit". Furthermore, these positive images play significant roles in enhancing trust, dispelling doubts, boosting soft power, and promoting the spirit of science.