ABSTRACT

Many scholars have treated news as a specific discourse to study at home and abroad. However, seldom do they pay attention to the argumentative characteristics of news discourse. Based on the pragma-dialectical model of argumentation theory and the framework of analyzing argumentative discourse, this paper makes an analysis of the report on China-US trade war on solar products in the New York Times. It aims to reveal the real position and argumentative strategies used by the New York Times behind its seemingly neutral attitude.

This paper found that the report is not as objective and neutral as it is supposed to be. In the report, the author violates the rules for critical discussion and applies faulty argument schemes to defend his own standpoint, aiming at persuading the readers that the United States government should impose import and dumpling tariffs on Chinese solar products.

Key words: News Discourse; Argumentation; Pragma-dialectical Model of Argumentation

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 Research Background-1

1.2 Aim and Significance-1

1.3 Organization of the Thesis-2

Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW-3

2.1 Definition of News Discourse-3

2.2 Overseas Studies on News Discourse-3

2.3 Domestic Studies on News Discourse-4

2.4 Summary-5

Chapter Three RESEARCH DESIGN-6

3.1Theoretical Assumptions-6

3.1.1News as discourse-6

3.1.2 News as argumentative discourse-6

3.2 Data to Be Analyzed-7

3.3 Research Questions-7

3.4 Research Methods-7

Chapter Four CONTEXT ANALYSIS-10

4.1 China-US Trade War on Solar Products-10

4.2 The New York Times-10

Chapter Five RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-11

5.1 Reconstructional Analysis of the Report-11

5.2 Argumentative Unsoundness of the Report-12

5.2.1 Violations of the ten rules in the New York Times-13

5.2.1.1 Violation of the unexpressed premise rule-13

5.2.1.2 Violation of the standpoint rule-14

5.2.1.3 Violation of the argument scheme rule-15

5.3 Summary-19

Chapter Six CONCLUSION-20

6.1 Conclusion-20

6.2 Limitations-21

6.3 Future Research-21

REFERENCES-22