Traditional contrastive rhetoric treats English rhetoric as the standard paradigm opposite to non-English rhetoric. Thus, it is criticized for its emphasis on the superiority of English rhetoric. Some Western scholars have attempted to defend Chinese rhetoric, based on the assumption that Chinese and English rhetorical modes are similar. However, their arguments have ignored rhetorical features particular to Chinese. This paper adopts a comparative rhetoric perspective to investigate the rhetorical modes of Chinese expository paragraphs. The data includes paragraph-writing instruction in middle and high school Chinese textbooks, as well as the paragraphs in the full-score compositions of College Entrance Examinations. The results of this study show that no systematic theory or instruction on paragraph-writing appears in the Chinese textbooks. The formulation of topic sentences in Chinese compositions is different from that in English rhetoric and writing, and most of the written paragraphs are neither deductive nor inductive. In addition, figurative language is preferred in Chinese exposition, but it is least emphasized in English exposition. The conclusion can be drawn that the modern Chinese rhetorical paradigm still has its own features, and is accordingly different from English at paragraph level. The status of Chinese rhetoric cannot be elevated in the world only by emphasizing the similarities between Chinese and English rhetoric. Instead, the particularity of Chinese rhetoric should be acknowledged.

As a new paradigm within contemporary cognitive semantics, semantic molecules theory is based on natural semantic metalanguage (NSM) approach, advanced by Anna Wierzbicka, founder of the Polish Semantic School. The core ideas behind the NSM approach can be traced back to the seventeenth century German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s philosophical tradition of rationalism. This paper aims to introduce the latest developments in the Polish Semantic School, focusing on its discussion of the academic basis of semantic molecules theory, its definition and application of the theory in lexical semantic explication. The theory of semantic molecules leads to new ways of understanding vocabulary structure and depicting semantic dependencies and interrelationships. It is hoped that this introduction to semantic molecules theory will offer valuable suggestions for future in-depth research and that it will enrich the research on the Polish Semantic School.

This study explored the space-time characteristics of English and Chinese language and national thinking preferences in three experiments. Experiment 1 examined the differences in spatial (i.e., shape and size) characteristics between English and Chinese noun phrases using a lexical judgment task. In Experiment 2, the differences in time characteristics between English and Chinese were investigated by judging the time information (past, present or future) represented by English and Chinese sentences. In Experiment 3, the participants’ spatiotemporal thinking was triggered in a task in which they were shown pictures and asked to verbally express the contents. The results showed that English expressions had stronger temporal characteristics, while Chinese expressions had stronger spatial characteristics; that British people had a stronger preference for time-based thinking, while Chinese had a stronger preference for spatial thinking; and that the differences in the space-time characteristics of language and the national temporal and spatial thinking preferences of the English and Chinese were closely related to the respective language origins, philosophies and ways of thinking. This research uses empirical methods to demonstrate the different temporal and spatial characteristics of the English and Chinese languages and the national temporal and spatial thinking preferences. It provides effective evidence for the study of English and Chinese language and thinking characteristics.

As an important function of translated text, annotation can not only make up for the cultural gaps between the authors and readers, but it can also reflect the translators’ strategies and their views on the readers. In this paper, eleven Chinese versions of Macbeth from different time periods have been selected, and the annotations within them have been classified. Typical annotations have then been selected for analysis with the aim of revealing the translators’ views on translation and readers. The results have revealed the translators’ strategies and view on readers behind the annotation of translation. The article also recommends that academic circles attend more to the paratext of the Chinese translations in the study of Shakespeare’s plays.

A limited number of studies have observed that the state translation of Chinese literary works in the 1950s was generally deemed to be propaganda, thus failing to attract readership in the English world, especially in Anglo-American society. Although relatively objective, this observation is in danger of overgeneralization. It neglects the nature of state translation practice and the multiple translation effects in different recipient cultures. Drawing on some primary historical records and relevant studies, this paper explores the distribution mechanisms of the International Bookstore, the major distribution agency of translated works, and the reception of English translations of Chinese literary works in South and Southeast Asian countries, such as India and Indonesia, at the time. The study shows that the organized outreach of the state-sponsored English translation works were distributed widely in India and Indonesia, greatly facilitating the creation of the socialist realist literature in the two countries. The study is expected to reassess the political value of the state translation practice and effects at the early stage.

With a case analysis of research on the genesis, prospects and refinement of the concept of State Translation Program (STP), which is put forward by Professor Ren Dongsheng, a Chinese scholar in the field of translation studies, in recent years, this paper attempts to probe into the approaches to broaden original discourse capacity for translation studies in China’s academia and further serve the governance of China and China’s participation in global governance by theoretical innovation. The research method adopted in this paper is interview, or more specifically, a tripartite dialogue. The scholars who participate in the dialogue are Professor Ren Dongsheng, a pioneer in the field of State Translation Program Studies, Professor Lan Hongjun, a leading figure in translation theory research and criticism, and Gao Yuxia, a Ph.D. candidate, who interests in State Translation Program. The three scholars reach a consensus on four issues: (1) the starting point and purpose of theoretical innovation is to address existing problems and issues concerning state governance and international governance in particular; (2) multiple approaches and polybasic discourse innovations, which are encouraged, should be problem-oriented and with clear focus; (3) mechanically imitated me-too research is not innovation; (4) mono-disciplinary mindset in research should be updated to inter-disciplinary or even trans-disciplinary methodology which are systematic and interlinked.

Employing the significant Marxian idea that capitalism is analogous to cannibalism as the critical perspective, and integrating the social background and personal experiences of the writer, this essay makes an in-depth analysis of the culinary discourse in Carson McCullers’ first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. This paper argues that the work was acclaimed as “a proletarian novel,” faithfully reflecting the social conditions of American South in the era of the Great Depression, mainly because of its rich, vivid and compassionate narratives surrounding hunger, eating and drinking. By portraying the bodily hunger and spiritual isolation of the poor whites, African Americans and the mute, McCullers vehemently attacks the systems of capitalism and racial segregation, both of which devour humanity. She aims to call upon the starving people to unite and fight for the realization of equal access to food, which should be enjoyed by every citizen.

This paper argues that strengthening the cultivation of capacity to conduct research is an effective way to handle the reading and writing crisis and the absence of critical thinking among English major undergraduates in Chinese universities. It mainly discusses two questions: (a) why should English major students’ capacities for research be cultivated in their undergraduate years, and (b) how should this be done? The author contends that because the discipline of English is part of humanities and the aim of English major education is to produce high-quality talents with creative minds, it is necessary to emphasize the cultivation of students’ research abilities. The author suggests that educational administration, teaching methods and students’ learning styles should be reformed. At the level of educational administration, it is necessary to reform the administration philosophy, the curriculum, the methods of evaluation and the management of university students’ scientific research training practices. At the level of teachers’ teaching, it is important for the teachers to implement research-oriented teaching methods, enhance their own research abilities and shift the focus of supervision to the cultivation of students’ research capacity. At the level of students’ learning, it is suggested that students adopt a research-oriented learning style and thus gradually form a sense of academics.

This essay intends to explore the evolution of Political Rhetoric Analysis (PRA) as a theoretical framework applied in international relations studies. First, the evolution of the definition of political rhetoric, as well as the relevant extant research was reviewed. Second, the theoretical foundation of political rhetoric was investigated under three major paradigms which are frequently adopted to explain interactions of international relations in reality, namely, positivism, constructivism and post-realism. Next, the Political Rhetoric Analysis, a theoretical framework considered to be one of the most widely-accepted and practical analytic tools for political texts was introduced. It is believed that the wide adoption of such a method of analysis will promote the efficacy of policy-analysis from the perspective of discursive analyses. This essay argues that, as a cross-disciplinary research field, the PRA-related studies will not only enrich the theoretical foundation for discursive research in international politics, but may also promote the in-depth theoretical integration of linguistics and other disciplines in the social sciences.