FORMULATING A DISCOURSE OF SOLIDARITY AMID COVID-19: A positive discourse analysis of remarks given by spokespersons from China’s foreign ministry

Yating Yu, Dennis Tay

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Although in recent years, there has been an increasing number of studies shifting their focus from management function to social power and ideologies in the field of crisis communication, little research attention has been given to the discursive construction of solidarity as a response strategy. To fill this gap, this study employs positive discourse analysis to investigate the discourse of solidarity constructed by China’s foreign ministry spokespersons in 104 remarks amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The findings show that the discourse of solidarity is formulated via three dominant discursive strategies: the use of metaphor, lexical reiteration, and indexicals and deontic modals. The discourse of solidarity constructed by the spokespersons has ideological implications for how collectivism and humanitarianism are applauded and practised in China. This study sheds light on the discursive construction of solidarity as a response strategy in promoting international cooperation and shaping a country’s national image at the time of a global health crisis.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCovid-19, Communication and Culture
Subtitle of host publicationBeyond the Global Workplace
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages76-94
Number of pages19
ISBN (Electronic)9781000623109
ISBN (Print)9781032232638
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 1 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Fiona Rossette-Crake and Elvis Buckwalter; individual chapters, the contributors.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Social Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'FORMULATING A DISCOURSE OF SOLIDARITY AMID COVID-19: A positive discourse analysis of remarks given by spokespersons from China’s foreign ministry'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this