International Journal of Language & Linguistics

The Discursive Construction of China’s National Image from the Perspective of Transitivity---A Case Study of Speech by President Xi Jinping at the Opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly
Yang Linxiu Xu Yani

Abstract
The construction of the national image has recently been a hot research topic. How China constructs its national image during the fighting against COVID-19 is worth much exploration. Taking the speech delivered by Chinese president Xi Jinping as the research data, the transitivity system in SFL as the basic theoretical framework, the study tries to explore the construction of China's national image through the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on the distribution and analyses of transitivity process and participants, the study finds out three types of China’s images during the fighting against COVID-19: the forerunner in fighting the COVID-19, the builder of a community with a shared future, the owner of long-term and comprehensive vision.

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