Structural determinants of ideological discourse in Chinese linguistic culture

Khabarov A.A.

Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Russia, Moscow
e-mail: lancelot567@mail.ru

In modern linguistics, the study of the phenomenon of ideology is considered in the context of research into the methods and forms of verbal influence, the mechanisms of individual socialization, and the organization of social relations, taking into account the ethnocultural specifics of society, political, spiritual, and moral constants, which together determine the interdisciplinary nature of this phenomenon. The realities of China's information and psychological warfare against Western propaganda have required the adoption of a number of measures to strengthen ideological discourse and internet censorship  (the concept of «network sovereignty»), also influencing the communication strategies of verbal behavior of officials.

Literature review

Among the anthropocentric approaches to the study of ideology that dominate the modern linguistic paradigm, we primarily rely on the methods of integrative discourse analysis (R. Wodak, T. van Dijk, N. Fairclough, L. Chouliaraki), which embody the idea of the procedural nature of society, revealed in the continuous dynamics of interactions to create and disseminate common meanings and categories for understanding existence.

The appeal to the interactive side of the life of society in the context of the formation and transformation of linguistic consciousness is based on the study of the symbolic nature of language and the active nature of speech (A.N. and A.A. Leontiev, E.V. Sidorov, E.F. Tarasov, N.V. Ufimtseva, etc.), which predetermined the emergence in domestic linguistics of a systemic-activity approach, developed within the framework of the theory of speech activity [7]. In the interdisciplinary analysis of the immanent properties of discourse, we turn to studies of the patterns of linguistic processes, carried out in line with the concept of «dynamic» structuralism (C. Lee, S. Thompson, Zhao Yuanren, V.A. Kurdyumov), critical discourse analysis (T. van Dijk), and the cognitive-discursive paradigm (V.Z. Demyankov, A.A. Kibrik, E.S. Kubryakova).

We examine the processes of ideological explication in the communicative dynamics of discourse from the perspective of dynamic structuralism. In modeling the macrostructure of Chinese ideological discourse, we proceed from the premise that the interaction between text and discourse is conditioned by the eventfulness aspect of the communicative act, its chronotopic parameters, sociocultural and axiological characteristics, and is based on the phenomenon of processuality, reflecting the existential forms of language development. In our study, we rely on the provisions of the predication concept when interpreting the functional directions of the existence and development of language ("everyday language," "cognitive language," and "language leading to transparency"), as well as the unity of the ontological functions of language, reflected in the thesis that "language is always existential, which follows from its cognition and flows from its interactivity" [5, p. 133].

The study of the semantic-syntactic organization of discursive practices in the Chinese language is based on the categorical-conceptual apparatus of the system-activity approach, developed within the framework of the theory of speech activity, and the predication concept of language, which defines language as a «dynamic sequence of forms expressing ideas» [4, p. 179]. The scientific validity of the study of speech activity processes from the standpoint of dynamic structuralism is verified by the results of research into the mechanism of interactivity of spontaneous forms of Chinese speech [8], the patterns of organization of the predication structure of a dialogic text based on the material of the modern Chinese language [6], as well as the universality of topic structures in modern linguistic paradigms [3], etc. A distinctive feature of this study is the integrative approach to the consideration of the communicative nature of Chinese ideological discourse, which combines the use of the categorical-conceptual apparatus of the predication concept of language, the methodology of critical discourse analysis and the tools of the cognitive-discursive paradigm.

Materials and methods

The linguistic analysis of the empirical material was conducted using semantic-structural, functional-pragmatic, and contextual analysis methods, highlighting the implicit meaning of ideologically oriented discursive units. For the linguistic analysis, we selected ideologically oriented texts presented in the legal documents of the Communist Party of China, the discursive practices of Chinese President Xi Jinping from 2012 to 2021, and speeches by contemporary political and public figures in Chinese society. During the study, we consulted official information resources of the PRC's state power institutions (习近平系列重要讲话数据库，中国共产党新闻网), electronic publications of the official media of the People's Republic of China (CCTV, 人民网, 新华), and excerpts from the authorial discourses of Chinese political figures. The total volume of the research corpus consisted of 112 discourse fragments.

Analysis and results

From the standpoint of linguistics and cognitive psychology, ideology is considered inextricably linked with the processes of thinking, the formation and change of knowledge structures, accompanied by the dynamics of the speech activity of the individual in society, an appeal to the psychological and verbal aspects of the speech-thinking activity of people, as well as to the forms and methods of transmitting and storing knowledge in the formation of models of social reality. The role of ideology in managing society through its consciousness is realized through debunking stereotypes and myths of socialization, focusing on managing human decisions by managing the systems of their values [2, p. 54]. Following T. van Dijk, we interpret the concept of ideology as a complex of fundamental ideas of social groups reflecting "basic systems of social cognition common to members of specific social groups, created as a result of the relevant selection of socio-cultural values and organized with the help of an ideological scheme, which represents a form of self-identification of a specific social group" [8, p. 248]. In other words, when speaking about understanding ideology as a social phenomenon, it is necessary to understand the personality type model and the value orientations of the subject to whom this type of ideology is extrapolated.

The phenomenon of discourse is associated with the event-based explication of speech activity and is understood by us as "an unfinished, globally ongoing descriptive phenomenon that presupposes the constant generation of texts united by a common topic," and also as "a process that presupposes a non-discrete, mutually conditioned, presuppositive generation of interconnected texts, a process of idea-expression and idea-manifestation aimed at linking the communicative activities of the sender and the addressee" [1, p. 4]. The results of our studies of spontaneous forms of colloquial Chinese speech show that in a language with an isolating typology, such as Chinese, "the opposition of the subject and object of action is less significant from the point of view of the verbal factualization of thought compared to the identification of the characterization relationship between communicatively correlated semantic parts of the utterance" [8, p. 4]. An objective perception of the pragmatic potential and evaluative semantics of Chinese ideological discourse requires a fundamental understanding of the underlying context, with whose textual fabric the precedent elements of specific discursive practice are integrated. Thus, according to E. Hall's classification, Chinese linguistic culture belongs to the category of high-context cultures, that is, those in which, unlike low-context cultural traditions (American, German, Scandinavian, etc.), "the majority of information is contained in the physical context or has already been assimilated by the communicant, while only a small portion will be encoded in the message itself, that is, transmitted explicitly" [10, p. 91].

The linguainformational model of ideological discourse can be represented as an interdiscursive environment, the functional potential of which is aimed at transmitting ideologically charged information in polycode form. The representative of the conceptual core of modern Chinese linguistic culture—the Communist Party of China—serves as the general mode of textual arrays that ensure the coherence and internal consistency of interdiscursive practices. At the apex of its modal organization is the image of the national leader, who fulfills the communicative role of the main discursive referent. The production of ideological discourses in the PRC is propositionally linked to a single topic, the predicative potential of which is determined by the collection of programmatic speeches by Xi Jinping and representatives of the party-political elite, reflecting their current speech profile. The presuppositional basis of interdiscourse is formed by corpora of texts united according to criteria of ideological orientation, as well as information resources for the accumulation, storage, and dissemination of ideologically marked content. In cognitive terms, the macrostructure of ideological discourse can be represented by an interconnected system of supporting frames and a set of associated conceptual fields, which are actualized within the deictic boundaries of the interdiscursive environment through ideologically marked linguistic units. The dynamics of the dissemination of China's internal (official) ideology in opposition to external (destructive) ideological factors can be represented as a vertically oriented macrostructure of the explication of interdiscursive practices, reflecting the ethnocultural specificity of the subjects of social relations within the hierarchy of Chinese society.

In cognitive terms, the macrostructure of ideological discourse can be represented by an interconnected system of supporting frames and a set of associated conceptual fields, which are actualized within the deictic boundaries of the interdiscursive environment through ideologically marked linguistic units. The dynamics of the dissemination of China's internal (official) ideology in opposition to external (destructive) ideological factors can be represented as a vertically oriented macrostructure of discursive practices, reflecting the ethnocultural specificity of the hierarchy of subjects in the Chinese model of social relations (Figure 1).

Scheme 1. Macrostructure of the model of explication of ideological discourse in modern Chinese society in the realities of information and psychological warfare.

The main characteristics of the strategies for extrapolating official ideology in modern China are a targeted focus on key areas of social groups, the integration of the ideals of traditional philosophical and ethical teachings with the programmatic principles of the concept of building a socialist society promoted by the Communist Party of China, and the official enshrinement in Chinese legislation of the leading role of the Communist Party and the personal moral authority of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Among the typical features of the speech behavior of the PRC party and political leadership, we can highlight the stylistic combination of ideological markers, conceptualized in the minds of native speakers through circulation in intra-social communication, with terminological and specialized vocabulary, and the practice of forming metaphorical images using the figurative and expressive means of the Chinese language. Let's consider this in the following example: 我们要在推进互利合作方面持续发力，深化共建“一带一路”同欧亚经济联盟对接合作，支持数字经济创新发展，共同应对全球气候变化，推动地区经济社会发展。– «We must continue to make efforts in promotion of mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen cooperation By construction conjugation Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt, support innovative development digital economy, respond jointly on global climate change, stimulate economic and social development at the regional level» [11].

Let's note the communicative significance of the metaphors that form the conceptual image of "One Belt, One Road" (一带一路), which simplifies the average communicator's understanding of this complex geopolitical phenomenon with the required semantic interpretation. The clarity of this image allows us to create a frame in which socialist China has once again become the center of the world, "girdling" the Eurasian continent and peripheral regions with trade and economic ties—that is, "peaceful," "non-military" ones—in contrast to the military (violent) measures resorted to by the "outsiders." The verbal context plays a key role, forming a semantic field in the recipients' minds around the emerging cognitive structure. Among the stable verbal environment, one can identify such clichéd phrases as «promote mutually beneficial cooperation» (推进互利合作), «deepen (the work) on joint construction» (深化共建), etc., natural science terms «innovative development of the digital economy» (数字经济创新发展), etc.

The philosophical and spiritual-moral aspects of the collective thinking of the Chinese nation, enshrined in the system of traditional moral values and ideals, are also manifested in the speech of those who speak Chinese. The frequent use of precedent expressions from classical philosophical treatises is reflected in the following discursive passage from Xi Jinping's speech: 我们愿同各方一道努力，秉持真正的多边主义，讲信修睦，合作共赢，向着推动构建人类命运共同体的目标稳步迈进。– «We we want apply our forces together with everyone parties, pursuit to the present multilateralism, to show trust и maintain friendships relationships, adhere to principles win-win cooperation, move forward with confidence to the goal of creation communities of shared destiny for humanity» [ibid.].

Let us pay attention to the Confucian maxim "to show trust in people and maintain friendly relations with them" (讲信修睦), quoted by Xi Jinping from the "Book of Rites" (礼记). We should also note the intensive use of ideological markers, among which the political terms "a community with a shared future for mankind" (人类命运共同体), "multilateralism" (多边主义), "win-win cooperation" (合作共赢), clichéd syntactic constructions with the ameliorative semantics of "along the same path with all other parties…" (同各方一道努力), and other linguistic means stand out. Let us note that the frequent and systematic use of ideological markers in the institutional types of official discourse of representatives of the Chinese government also determines the national-cultural specificity of its typological characteristics.

Conclusion

A linguistic analysis of ideologically marked interdiscursive practices confirms the conclusion that the fundamental system-forming role of verbal representations of framed structures of consciousness in the communicative dynamics of their deployment can be reflected in the ethnocognitive model of a system of positions derived from the predicative pair "topic-commentary." The ethnocultural specificity of ideological extrapolation in China is expressed in the choice of linguistic means and communicative strategies of influence, illustrating the relevance of the semantic, functional, and pragmatic characteristics of ideologically charged discourses to the basic topic (propositional core), the referential potential of which determines the deictic parameters and semantic variability of the generated texts.

Among the typological features of discursive practices in the sphere of ideological construction in the PRC, we believe that such characteristics as the fusion of the social image of the party-political nomenclature with the speech portrait of the bearer of national identity fixed by the media, the ideological determinism of the propositional basis of discursive practices in the spheres of peripheral generation of speech products, the relevance of the semantic, functional and pragmatic characteristics of ideological discourses to the basic topic (propositional core), the referential potential of which determines the deictic restrictions and semantic variability of the generated texts, should be considered.

The results of a linguistic analysis of Chinese ideological discourse show that the use of language as an instrument of power also has "Chinese specificities," expressed in the choice of linguistic means and communicative strategies of influence, among which the strategy of "soft persuasion," or harmonization, stands out. The pragmatic characteristics of the analyzed discursive practices emphasize their communicative focus on shaping in the minds of the target audience an implicature of a glorified image of China as a state that relies on the fundamental values and ideals inherent in every national culture and that will be positively perceived in any society.

Literature

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