Abstract:

Following Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper is a frame analysis of speeches made by high-ranking officials of the United States Department of State since 2011 when the “New Silk Road Strategy” was initiated. The findings show that, embedded in the deep frame of U.S. diplomatic culture and the historical Silk Road narrative, the discourse arises from the officials’ manipulative use of covert and overt elements in the surface frame. The surface frame as a whole aims to exhibit a positive U.S. foreign policy oriented toward peace, security, stability, development, cooperation, and connectivity in Central Asia, with subframes indicating different perspectives. The overt side represents the U.S. as “having made great contributions to the strategy” and the strategy as “benefiting Afghanistan a lot”, while the covert side hints that “the U.S. is a God-chosen leader of the world” and “its policy priority is to achieve and defend U.S. national interests”. The frame, as an effort to explain U.S. strategic goals, is designed to fit into the cognitive model of the Americans on one hand and to relieve Afghans’ suspicion of the U.S. initiative on the other hand.

Keywords: New Silk Road Strategy; U.S. diplomatic culture; foreign policy; frame; Critical Discourse Analysis

摘要：

本研究从批评话语分析视角出发,对美国国务院高官发表的有关“新丝路战略”的演讲进行了架构分析。结果发现,该类话语是以美国对外政策话语和“丝绸之路”话语的深层架构为基础,在表层架构对其显性和隐性侧面进行操控性交替运用形成的。总体而言,其表层架构意在表明美国在中亚地区奉行积极的和平、安全、稳定、发展、合作、互联互通的外交政策。其中,次级架构的显性侧面突出“美国对该战略的巨大贡献”和“该战略对阿富汗的重要作用”,而隐性侧面则暗示“美国是上帝选择的世界领袖”,“其政策重点是实现和捍卫美国的国家利益”。美国政府利用这一架构一方面迎合了美国人的认知模式,另一方面也试图消除阿富汗人对美国战略目标的质疑。

关键词: 新丝路战略, 美国外交文化, 对外政策, 架构, 批评话语分析