Harmonious discourse analysis is an approach to ecological discourse analysis developed by Chinese scholars based on their understanding of the interrelationships and interactions between language and ecology. Its philosophical foundation lies in traditional Chinese ecological concepts, particularly the principle of harmony, while its theoretical framework is grounded in systemic functional linguistics. This problem-oriented approach adheres to the idea of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. This paper provides an overview of harmonious discourse analysis and synthesizes international scholarly evaluations of the framework. The paper aims to stimulate greater attention to research on the relationship between language and ecology, and to encourage Chinese scholars to further explore the role of language in fostering harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Since its inception, harmonious discourse analysis has gradually developed into a systematic approach; however, its ecosophy has not yet been clearly articulated. Drawing on Confucian and Taoist philosophy and integrating the concept of human “ecological niche”, this article proposes a human-oriented ecosophy — “Live and let live” — as the ecosophy for harmonious discourse analysis. This ecosophy encompasses six core principles: difference and diversity, tolerance and empathy, restriction and discipline, coordination and integration, now and future, and care and extending love. Through case-based illustrations, the article integrates this ecosophy into existing scholarship, aiming to advance the theoretical frameworks and practical applications of harmonious discourse analysis, ecological discourse analysis, and ecological education.

Harmonious discourse analysis is a novel ecolinguistic framework introduced by Professor Huang Guowen in 2016, developed specifically to address the Chinese linguistic and cultural contexts. This article examines harmonious discourse analysis through three key dimensions of it: its historical evolution, its classification within the broader field of ecolinguistics, and its three foundational components. The review reveals three significant insights. First, the development of harmonious discourse analysis has followed two primary trajectories: its progression from its initial conceptualization to gaining international scholarly recognition, and its evolvement from establishing systematic analytical models to embracing more diverse analytical practices. Secondly, this approach is rooted in critical ecolinguistics and eco-critical discourse analysis. Harmonious discourse analysis, in its narrow sense as harmonious ecolinguistics, represents an advancement of ecological discourse analysis. This concept is grounded in systemic ecolinguistics within the Chinese context and falls under the umbrella of micro-ecolinguistics. It draws on the rich traditions of Chinese ecological wisdom centered on harmony. Third, the fundamental meanings of the three elements — “harmony as context”, “discourse as object”, and “analysis as approach” — reflect three linguistic perspectives, constructive, functional, and evolutionary, embedded within this emerging analytical framework. The article calls for further investigation into the emerging research areas, including harmonious discourse system, harmoniousness of discourse, and harmonious analysis of discourse.

With the advancement of ecolinguistic research, the theoretical framework of harmonious discourse analysis with Chinese characteristics and for application in the Chinese context has been preliminarily established. However, the theoretical framework requires further refinement in terms of its scope of application and the breadth of discourse subjects. Drawing on material ecocriticism as theoretical foundation, this study proposes three key modifications to the theoretical framework of harmonious discourse analysis: (1) the addition of a “principle of mutualism” as a foundational principle; (2) the incorporation of a “character” element within the “tenor” component and a “convergence media” element within the “mode” component; and (3) the revision of the “tradition” element to “traditional media”. These modifications expand the applicability of harmonious discourse analysis across a broader range of discourse types while enhancing its practical utility and instructive value.

Guided by the theory of translator behavior criticism, this paper examines legal translation through two dimensions: intra-translation and extra-translation. From the extra-translation dimension, the contemporary imperative to communicate rule of law narratives in China effectively positions legal translation at a critical forefront. The finite capacity of translators, contrasted with the infinite range of translatable legal texts, underscores the strategic importance of text selection. Furthermore, establishing sound professional ethics is a prerequisite for translators engaged in legal translation services. From the intra-translation dimension, the distinctive features of legal language and the unique nature of legal translation necessitate a high degree of fidelity to source texts. Synthesizing both dimensions, legal translators must seek an optimal balance along the truth-seeking-utility-attaining continuum to enhance the appropriateness of translator behavior. Truth-seeking demands that legal translators uphold principles of strict accuracy and consistency, while utility-attaining requires clarity and concision, and stylistic standardization to facilitate cross-cultural legal communication.

Taking Wing-tsit Chan’s and Frederick G. Henke’s translations of Chuanxilu, a representative work of new Confucianism, as a case study, this paper applies syntactic complexity analysis methods, including mean dependency distance, to compare translator behaviors between direct and indirect translators. The findings reveal that the indirect translation exhibits lower mean dependency distance and syntactic complexity, higher simplification, reduced normalization and explicitation levels, reflecting a translator’s prioritization of truth-seeking alongside complementary utility-attaining. In contrast, the direct translation exhibits higher mean dependency distance and syntactic complexity, lower simplification, increased normalization and explicitation levels, demonstrates a behavior of prioritizing utility-attaining with complementary truth-seeking. This study integrates extra-translational factors — including translation purpose, translator identity, and translation context —with the linguistic features of translated texts. By employing syntactic complexity as an analytical lens, it aims to contribute new perspectives and methodologies to research on extra-translational aspects of translator behavior.

The traditional concepts of subject and intersubjectivity in writing originate from Husserl’s phenomenological perspective and focus on human factors in writing activities. Consequently, the subjects of writing are limited to the writer and reader, while intersubjectivity is confined to their bilateral interactions. This paper proposes reconceptualizing these concepts from the perspective of Activity Theory, which views writing as a social activity. Using English scientific experimental reports as an illustrative case, the paper redefines the subject and intersubjectivity in writing, elucidating the connotations of the subject and the mechanisms of intersubjectivity. It argues that, as a form of social activity, the subjects of writing encompass not only the writer and the targeted readers but also the subject matter, the instruments and the written product itself as well as the socio-cultural contexts—both micro and macro—in which these elements are situated. The completion of writing activities emerges from dynamic interactions among these elements, forming the mechanism of intersubjectivity in writing. This intersubjectivity manifests primarily through three forms: sharing, interaction, and unification. This research aims to deepen understanding of the essential nature of writing, particularly scientific report writing in English, and to provide theoretical guidance for academic writing practice and pedagogy.

Ideological and political teaching in a mixed foreign language classroom with students from multiple ethnic groups and countries (regions) is a complex system. It involves the interpretation of ideological and political education, the professional landing of foreign languages, and the coordination and identification between nationalities and cultures. Based on the field investigation of six first- and new-first-tier city universities, this study focuses on the curriculum design of ideological and political teaching of foreign language courses with the aim of building a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, explains the connotation and dimension of ideological and political education in multi-ethnic and multi-country and regional mixed classrooms at the theoretical level, and analyzes the realistic dilemma of implementing ideological and political education in cross-cultural classrooms. At the practical level, the paper puts forward a systematic teaching implementation path based on the sense of community of the Chinese nation, and focuses on the following aspects: (1) the dual track of ideological and political education content system in multi-ethnic and multi-country and regional mixed foreign language classrooms; (2) the sharing of teaching mode and the gradation of teaching platform; (3) the technological innovation and incentive of curriculum evaluation system;(4) the guarantee and implementation of the curriculum coordination mechanism. The two levels support each other, and the four implementation paths are coordinated and unified. They provide effective pathways for implementing ideological and political education that strengthens the consciousness of the Chinese national community in multi-ethnic and multi-country and regional mixed classrooms.

The defeat of the American South in the Civil War not only destroyed the plantation economy, but also the racial order under slavery. The question “Who are we?” haunted people, floating in the South and created a unique landscape of identity in an era of a radical shift from the old to the new. By adopting the theory of three-presence relations proposed by Stuart Hall, the father of contemporary cultural studies, and conducting an analysis of Faulkner’s major novels such as The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom! and As I Lay Dying, the aim in this paper is to point out that, for Southerners with different skin colors, cultural identity is a never-ending process of production. Whether it is the Présence Européenne at the level of power and ideology or the Présence Africaine at the level of time and history, they are only the process of the Southerners of different colors discovering and confronting their collective history and cultural memory. It is only the Présence Américaine at the level of space and geography that provides them with an open platform for the construction of a racial identity that embraces diversity and difference, and reconstructs the identity of the United States of America in the midst of contradictions and conflicts accordingly.

Translating for museum serves as a vital component of cultural communication, including essential features, processes, and evaluation criteria. This paper explores these topics through the lens of Gadamer’s hermeneutics, identifying the understanding mode and dialogical character in the formation of a common understanding during the translation process. It concludes that the criteria for translating for museum should move beyond traditional notions of straightforward equivalence, emphasizing the importance of participation in the creation of sensus communis. By integrating theory with the self-constructed Parallel Corpus of Translated Introductive Texts of Chinese Museums — History Exhibition (PCTITCM-HE), this study analyzes the differentiated practice in museum text translation. Our findings reveal the significant role of evaluative statements in shaping audience perceptions or prejudice and the impact of informative statements in fostering new understanding. Ultimately, this research aims to advance the quality of museum text translation in China.