Abstract

Interpersonal meaning is to indicate, establish, or maintain social relationships between people. It reflects the speaker’s role in the speech, and expresses his personal commitment and assessment of the social relationship between the audience and himself. This thesis analyzes the interpersonal meaning of quotations in President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic speeches. Seven diplomatic speeches, delivered by President Xi Jinping in his state visits during 2015 and 2016, are collected as data from the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Based on them, a corpus of quotations has been established and the interpersonal features of President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic speeches have been revealed.

Detailed analysis of the data reveals that when making diplomatic speeches, President Xi Jinping frequently resorts to all kinds of quotations in order to accomplish his communicative purposes. For example, the quotation, a specific intertextuality, is related to the culture. Some quotations are from China, which can spread traditional Chinese culture; some are from the target country, which can clear the gaps due to the culture differences between the speaker and the audience. Besides, the use of quotations reflects President Xi Jinping’s politeness by showing his great respect and admiration to the target audience, which helps him smoothly communicate with the audience. Furthermore, President Xi Jinping takes on the role of president of China and leader of a great power by spreading China’s diplomacy through quotations to call on the whole world to pursue peace, cooperation and righteousness.

The research findings can help us understand more deeply the interpersonal meaning conveyed in President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic speeches.

Key words: quotation; diplomatic speech; interpersonal meaning

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

  1.1 Research Background-1

  1.2 Research Significance-1

  1.3 Research Methodology and Data Collection-2

  1.4 Organization of the Thesis-2

2. Literature Review-3

  2.1 Previous Studies of Interpersonal Meaning-3

  2.2 Previous Studies of Diplomatic Speech-5

  2.3 The Definition of Quotation in the Present Study-6

3. The Frequency and Features of Quotations in President Xi’s Diplomatic Speeches-7

  3.1 The Frequency of Quotations-7

  3.2 Interpersonal Features of Quotations-9

     3.2.1 Promoting Understanding through Culture-9

     3.2.2 Showing Politeness to the Audience-11

     3.2.3 Spreading China’s Diplomacy-12

4. Conclusion-15

  4.1 Major Findings of the Study-15

  4.2 Limitations and Further Suggestions of the Study-15

Appendix: List of President Xi Jinping’s Diplomatic Speeches in His State Visits From January, 2015 to November, 2016-17

References-18