Cover not available
Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 27:1 (2004) ► pp.72–88

A contrastive analysis of letters to the editor in Chinese and English

| University of Sydney

This study examines similarities and differences between English and Chinese letters to the editor on newspapers from the perspectives of contrastive rhetoric and genre theory. Generic structures, rhetorical structures, and logico-semantic relations of 20 letters to the editor (10 in Chinese and 10 in English) were examined in detail. Findings of this study include: 1) there was often an editor’s preview (i.e. a brief introduction to the letters written by editors) in Chinese letters to the editor in this study; 2) Appeals to values and needs were used to support their claims in Chinese letters to the editor, whereas English writers employed evidence to do this. The study suggests that ‘evidence’ and ‘appeals to values and need’ are deeply rooted in the two cultures and societies, and hence find their place in the writers’ texts; 3) consequential and additive logico-semantic relations were often used in both the Chinese and the English letters, however, consequential relations were more frequently used in the Chinese letters to the editor than in the English ones. All the findings are discussed in relation to the different writing styles and the socio-cultural values of each culture.

Published online: 1 January 2004
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.27.1.06wan
References
Allwright, D. & Bailey, K. M.
(1991) Focus on the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Butt, D., Fahey, R., Spinks, S., & Yallop, C.
(2000) Using Functional Grammar. (2nd ed,) Sydney: National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University.Google Scholar
Cahill, D.
(1999) Contrastive rhetoric, Orientalism, and the Chinese second language writer. PHD dissertation unpublished Chicago: University of Illinois.Google Scholar
Cai, G.
(1993) Beyond bad writing: Teaching English composition to Chinese ESL students. Paper presented at the college composition and communication conference, San Diego, CA.
Connor, U.
(1996) Contrastive rhetoric: Cross-cultural aspects of second language writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2002) New directions in contrastive rhetoric. TESOL Quarterly 36(4). 493-510Google Scholar
Gerot, L. & Wignell, P.
(1994) Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Gold Coast, QSL: AEE Publishing.Google Scholar
Halliday, M. A. K.
(1994) An introduction to functional grammar. (2nd ed). London: Edward ArnoldGoogle Scholar
Hamp-Lyons, L. & Zhang, B. W.
(2001) World Englishes: Issues in and from academic writing assessment In Flowerdew & Peacock (Ed.) Research perspectives on English for academic purposes (pp. 101-116). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ho, D. Y., & Chiu, C.
(1994) Component ideas of individualism, collectivism, and social organization: An application in the study of Chinese culture. In U. Kim, H. Triandis, C. Kagiteibasi, S. Choi, & G. Yoon (Eds.). Individualism and collectivism. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Hoey, M.
(1983) On the surface of discourse. London: George Allen and Unwin.Google Scholar
Kaplan, R. B.
(1966) Cultural thought patterns in intercultural education. Language learning 161:1-20. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1972) The anatomy of rhetoric: Prolegomena to a functional rhetoric. Philadelphia: Center for Curriculum Development.Google Scholar
(1987) Cultural thoughts patterns revisited. In U. Connor & R.B. Kaplan. (Ed) Writing across language: Analysis of L2 Text (pp. 9-21). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
(1988) Contrastive rhetoric and second language learning: Notes toward a theory of contrastive rhetoric. In A. C. Purves (Ed.), Writing across languages and cultures: Issues in contrastive rhetoric (pp. 275-304). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
(2000) Contrastive rhetoric and discourse analysis: Who writes what to whom? When? In what circumstances? In S. Sarangi & M. Coulthard (Ed.), Discourse and social life. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Kirkpatrick, A.
(1993) Information sequencing in modem standard Chinese. ARAL 16(2): 27-60. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1995) Are they really so different? The ‘Chinese’ genre of university entrance essays. Open Letter. 5(2): 43-52.Google Scholar
(1996) Topic—comment or modifier—modified?‘ Information structure in modern standard Chinese. Studies in Language. 20(1): 93-113. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Knapp, P. & Watkins, M.
(1994) Context-text-grammar. Sydney: Text Productions.Google Scholar
Leki, I.
(1991) Twenty-five years of contrastive rhetoric: text analysis and writing pedagogies. TESOL Quarterly 25(1): 123-143. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Martin, J. R.
(1992) English text: System and structure. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1993) Genre and literacy-modelling context in educational linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 131: 141-172. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1994) Macro-genres: The ecology of the page. Network 211:29-52.Google Scholar
(1997) Analysing genre: functional parameters. In Frances Christie & J. R. Martin (Ed.). Genre and institutions (pp.3-39). London and New York: Continuum.Google Scholar
(2001) Language, register and genre. In A. Burns & C. Coffin (Ed.). Analysing English in a global context (pp. 149-166). London and New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar
Martin, J. R., Christie, F., & Rothery, J.
(1987) Social processes in education: A reply to Sawyer and Watson (and others). In I. Reid (Ed.), The place of genre in learning: Current debates (pp. 46-57). Geelong, Australia: Deakin University Press.Google Scholar
Matalene, C.
(1985) Contrastive rhetoric: An American teacher in China. College English 47 (8): 789-808. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Rottenburg, A. T.
(1994) The structure of argument. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin‘s Press.Google Scholar
Scollon, R.
(1991) Eight legs and one elbow. Stance and structure in Chinese English compositions. Paper presented at International Reading Association, Second North American Conference on Adult and Adolescent Literacy, Banff.
Taylor, G. & Chen, T.
(1991) Linguistic, cultural, and subcultural issues in contrastive discourse analysis: Anglo-American and Chinese scientific texts. Applied Linguistics 12(3): 319-336. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhu, Y.
(2000) Structural moves reflected in English and Chinese sales letters. Discourse Studies 2(4): 525-548.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 2 other publications

Ashraf, Hina
2014. Letters to the editor: A resistant genre of unrepresented voices. Discourse & Communication 8:1 ► pp. 3 ff. DOI logo
Liu, Donghong
2019. Comparative rhetoric and emic approaches to Chinese persuasive strategies in hotel discourse. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 29:2 ► pp. 168 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 14 may 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.