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Article In: Languages in Contrast: Online-First Articles

Contrasting rhetorical strategies

A study of conceptual organization in English, Chinese, and Thai news discourse

ORCiD logo with link | King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand
ORCiD logo with link | King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand
ORCiD logo with link | King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand
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Abstract
This study examines conceptual organization in English, Chinese, and Thai discourse using topic-based analysis (TBA) and given — new progression (GNP). TBA assesses propositional coherence, focusing on how ideas are hierarchically organized, while GNP explores information flow, analyzing how given and new information are connected to achieve conceptual coherence. A dataset of 60 news articles forms the basis of the analysis. Findings reveal shared conceptual coherence across the three languages, attributed to common schematic structures and cognitive strategies. However, differences emerge in progression types: English favors linear, sequential progression, while Chinese and Thai rely more on elaboration and extended progressions, emphasizing depth within central ideas. These variations reflect distinct rhetorical conventions rather than measures of effectiveness. By uncovering universal and language-specific strategies for achieving coherence, this study contributes to the field of contrastive rhetoric, offering valuable insights into cross-linguistic variations in conceptual organization and discourse structuring.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Writing as a cognitive-discursive process
    • 1.2Conceptual organization in discourse: Topic-based analysis and given — new progression
    • 1.3Research question
  • 2.The data
    • 2.1Our approach to data comparability
    • 2.2The actual data
    • 2.3Translation and data preparation
    • 2.4Concept identification
    • 2.5Unit of analysis
    • 2.6Reliability and limitations
  • 3.Methods of analysis
    • 3.1Topic-based analysis
      • 3.1.1Identifying key concepts in a text
      • 3.1.2Constructing schematic hierarchies
      • 3.1.3Mapping the discourse onto the hierarchy
        • Distance of a move
        • Frequency of moves
        • Coherence breaks
        • Recycling of concepts
      • 3.1.4Illustrative example
    • 3.2Analysis of given-new progression
    • 3.3Standardization of data using z-scores
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Conceptual organization across languages: A TBA perspective
    • 4.2Conceptual organization across languages: A GNP perspective
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Shared conceptual structures in Topic-Based Analysis
    • 5.2Variations in information flow in Given — New Progression
    • 5.3Different aspects of coherence
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (39)
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