DOI: 10.12731/wsd-2014-9.2-6 UDC 81-119
THE U.S. MASS MEDIA STRATEGY AS THE EFFECTIVE MEANS OF STEREOTYPICAL CHINESE IMAGE VERBALIZATION
Sorokina O.N.
The article is devoted to the research of the U.S. mass-median strategy as the most effective means of stereotypical Chinese image representation.. The applicability of this theme is proved by importance of national cognitive activity research (representation of foreign country) through the reference to semiotically ordered set of the U.S. mass media texts. Thus, this study is timely as the mechanisms of images' representation by the mass media language are poorly known.
The primary goal of this study is a research of communicative strategies combination which are widely used by the authors of American publications reflecting the theme «China» in order to represent the distinctive Chinese image. To solve this scientific task the author uses a number of research methods which supplement each other: method of the contextual analysis, discursive and cognitive analysis of the U.S. mass media, interpretative analysis. The empiric base of this research is the content analysis of five national printing editions of the USA: «The New York Times», «The Washington Post», «The Wall Street Journal», «Time», «Newsweek».
The result of the conducted research becomes the disclosure of the leading communicative strategies causing ideological Chinese image creation; this image is presented as the chief U.S. rival taking over America.
Keywords: communicative strategies, verbalization, image, stereotypical representation, mass media, the USA, China, threat.
СТРАТЕГИЧНОСТЬ СМИ США КАК ЭФФЕКТИВНЫЙ ПРИЕМ ВЕРБАЛИЗАЦИИ СТЕРЕОТИПИЗИРОВАННОГО ОБРАЗА КИТАЯ
Сорокина О.Н.
Данная статья посвящена исследованию стратегич-ности масс-медийного дискурса США как эффективного приема экспликации стереотипизированного образа Китая. Актуальность данной темы обусловлена важностью исследования когнитивной деятельности целой нации (репрезентация чужой нации) через обращение к семиотически упорядоченной совокупности текстов. Актуальным представляется также то, что современное состояние вопроса о механизмах моделирования языком СМИ образов через коммуникативные стратегии характеризуется недостаточной изученностью.
В рамках данной работы основной задачей становится исследование совокупности коммуникативных стратегий, имеющихся в арсенале авторов информационных сообще-
ний СМИ США в рамках темы «Китай», используемых для актуализации особого образа Китая, приобретающего устойчивость. Для решения данной задачи автор использует комплекс дополняющих друг друга методов исследования: метод контекстуального анализа, дискур-сивно-когнитивный анализ масс-медийного дискурса США, интерпретационный анализ. Эмпирической базой исследования является контент-анализ материалов пяти общенациональных качественных печатных изданий США: «The New York Times», «The Washington Post», «The Wall Street Journal», «Time», «Newsweek».
Результатом проведенного исследования становится обнаружение ведущих коммуникативных стратегий, кау-зирующих формирование идеологически заданного образа Китая в виде основного конкурента США, представляющего наибольшую угрозу.
Ключевые слова: коммуникативные стратегии, вербализация, образ, стереотипное представление, средства массовой информации, США, Китай, угроза.
Introduction
The knowledge which is carried out by means of language (including mass media language) promotes the world view creation which represents the complete, substantial interpretation of surrounding reality. It means that words interpret information about the world in a definite way often being the meaning of evaluation of concrete impact on the relevant information recipient [4, p. 33]. At the same time the technology of information product creation means «the existence of
several levels of a goal-setting which are often designed through the elaboration of communicative strategies» [1, p. 7]. Thus, the choice of optimum language resources, their compatibility, composition methods used for the information creation at the level of mass media texts in order to explicate desirable images in mass media are closely connected with such phenomenon as a mass media discourse strategies.
Purpose of the Research
The primary goal of this study is a research of Chinese image created by American mass media by means of the combination of communicative strategies.
In order to solve this problem we used a number of research methods which supplement each other:
1) method of the contextual analysis which allows to reveal the implicit contest of image of China created in the U.S. mass media;
2) discursive and cognitive analysis of the U.S. mass media discourse, allowing to simulate cognitive structure of Chinese image and to describe cognitive model of a steady Chinese representation in language as in system presented in human consciousness;
3) interpretative analysis which is focused on the revealing cultural conditionality of the investigated image and valuable setup in public consciousness.
Materials of the Research
For the most systematic studying we have chosen so-called qualitative mass media of the USA. Thus, the empirical base of research
is the content-analysis of materials of the U.S. five national qualitative printing editions: newspapers «The New York Times», «The Washington Post», «The Wall Street Journal» and magazines «Time» and «Newsweek» (electronic version). The content-analysis was carried out on three-year selection (2009-20011); the total selection of the U.S. mass media reports is about 4000.
Review of Domestic and Foreign Literature
The strategic abilities of mass media language is considered as the effective way of communication achievement in many studies of the following researchers: I.N. Borisova (1996), S.V. Brozhenko (2011), O.S. Issers (1999), O.L. Mikhaleva (2009), O.N. Parshina (2007), S.N. Plotnikova (2006), A.P. Skovorodnikova (2004), I. V. Trufanova (2001), V.V. Tulupov (2012), A.B. Halatyan (2010), A.P. Chudinov (2003) and others. Different terms are used in various researches, but we should mention that these terms don't contradict each other [14, p. 87].
Thus A.P. Skovorodnikov believes that such concepts as «speech tactics» (resp. - communicative tactics) and «speech strategy» (resp. -communicative strategy) are systemically connected as part and whole, that's why we can define them in correlation with each other [15]. The researcher defines these terms in the following way: «Speech/com-municative strategy is a general plan, or «vector» of speech behavior which is expressed in a choice of system of stage-by-stage speech actions being thought by a speaker or a writer. This is the line of speech behavior accepted on the basis of a communicative situation understanding and directed to the ultimate communicative goal achievement in speech communication. Each speech (communicative) strategy is
characterized by a certain set of speech tactics [15, p. 6]. Speech (communicative) tactic is considered as a concrete speech course (or a step/ stage) in the course of speech strategy implementation. More over it is considered as a speech action (speech act or set of several speech acts), corresponding to this or that stage in speech strategy realization which is directed to the solution of a private communicative problem of this stage. The realization of cumulative sequence of speech tactics is urged to provide achievement of the speech communication purpose (a concrete interaction) [15, p. 6].
A.P. Chudinov considers communicative strategy as «planning in the most generalized view» and communicative tactics as «concrete ways of strategy realization» [18, p. 48].
Meanwhile I.N. Borisova believes that communicative strategy «is the result of speaker's speech behavior organization according to a pragmatical intension. In a broad sense communicative strategy is understood as a general intention, a task in a global scale, the most important task of speech dictated by the practical purpose of a pro-ducer» [2, p. 22]. According to the researcher, communicative strategy assumes facts selection and their giving in a certain lighting which may force speakers to organize speech respectively and causes the selection and use of language means. Thus communicative strategies can be conscious and subconscious. Conscious communicative strategies are connected mainly with the practical purpose achievement (these are dialogues of regulatory character where the consciousness prevails). Subconscious communicative strategies aren't defined by any deliberate plan. As a rule there is subconscious strategy in spontaneous easy colloquial dialogues. «If a conscious strategy can be correlated to a plan of the statement and its realization in
the speech, - Borisova writes, - then we can correlate subconscious strategy to a concept of speaker's psychological intention» [2, p. 23].
O.S. Issers defines communicative strategy concept as the strategy representing the cognitive plan of communication by means of which the optimum solution of speaker's communicative tasks is strictly controlled in the conditions of information lack about partner's actions» [7, p. 14].
Conducting our research, we also noticed consistent conclusions about their essence and functions. For instance, I.N. Borisova, arguing on communicative tactics, considers this concept within dialogue: «We understand communicative tactics as speakers' dynamic use of speech abilities in creation of remarks or dialogues designing this or that strategy of a conversation» [2, p. 23]. After A.P. Skovorodnikov, I.V. Trufanova formulates her point of view concerning speech tactics concept: «Tactics is urged to provide the chosen communicative strategy implementation and the expansion of the chosen genre.
From the point of view of a speech stream partitioning and speech genre expansion, it is considered as speech action - its minimum unit. From the point of view of its role as
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