Traditional contrastive rhetoric research is often restricted to the textual
level of analysis. By providing both a textual and contextual view
of genre across languages and cultures, this book presents a framework
for contrastive rhetoric research which moves beyond the text
into the context of production and interpretation of the text. The book
examines the textual patterning of Australian and Chinese commentaries
and interpersonal and intertextual features of the texts, as well
as considers possible contextual factors which might contribute to the
formation of the newspaper commentaries in the two different
languages and cultures. This analysis contributes towards answering
the questions: How do writers in different languages and cultures
position themselves in relation to the topics that they write about?
How do they manipulate the topic and address their readers by the use
of various linguistic strategies and devices? How do the roles of the
press and opinion discourses mediate and influence constructions of
the Chinese and English commentaries? How do discourses of terrorism
in these two settings relate to textual and intertextual practices? The
book is addressed to researchers in contrastive rhetoric and discourse
research. It is also directed towards scholars in intercultural communication
and translation.