摘 要

Chapter 1. Introduction 1

1.1 Research background 1

1.2 Need for the study 1

1.3 Research purpose 2

Chapter 2. Literature Review 3

2.1 Definitions of shell nouns 3

2.2 Classifications of shell nouns 3

2.2.1 Semantic features of shell nouns 3

2.2.2 Stance characteristics of shell nouns 4

2.3 A brief review of previous studies on shell nouns 4

2.4 Research gap 5

Chapter 3. Research Methodology 6

3.1 Research questions 6

3.2 Data collection 6

3.3 Data analysis 6

Chapter 4. Results and Discussion 7

4.1 Semantic features 7

4.1.1 Shell nouns of mental type 7

4.1.2 Shell nouns of factual type 8

4.2 Stance characteristics 9

4.2.1 Epistemic stance 9

4.2.2 Attitudinal stance 10

Chapter 5. Conclusion 11

5.1 Major findings 11

5.2 Implications 11

5.3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research 12

References 13

Acknowledgement

Firstly, I really appreciate that my tutor Prof. Hu Yuanjiang gives a paramount assistance to me. Mr. Hu is a knowledgeable and responsible gentleman. When I puzzle at something complicated, he is always endeavoring to explain the things that I do not understand with willingness. It is Mr. Hu that encourages me and tells me that the paper is not a tough nut. Not only can Mr. Hu give me valuable advice to better my thesis, but also share his valuable life wisdom, which would undoubtedly influence the rest of my life. I still remember that once we know who are our tutors, most of my classmates said I was so lucky to study with Prof. Hu. And of course I admit I am the luckiest guy. I really appreciate the opportunity to have Prof. Hu as my tutor.

Secondly, I am so lucky to learn from all of my dear teachers. It was Carol Wang that informed us some competitions that deserve to take part in and guided us to do our best. It was Mrs. Guo that told us much more than the content of the text book. Those she added to her teaching do broaden our horizons.

Thirdly, I’d like to say thanks to my room mates- Monroe, Jessica and Crystal. It is my room mates that assist me when I am troubled, cheer me up when I was blue and frustrated. We always stick together and care about each other. They are an indispensable and beautiful part of my college life.

Last but not least, I’d like to show my love to my family. My family always stand by my side. They nurture me with love, care and warmth.

Abstract

Shell nouns, as a kind of special abstract nouns, have a special feature of expressing different meanings in different contexts. So far, they have aroused a large amount of researches’ interests. Shell nouns are mostly studied in academic discourses.

However, studies on shell nouns in political discourses are rare. In order to facilitate the development of this field, this thesis aims to figure out the use of shell nouns in political discourse, based on the Government Work Report of 2018.

It is particularly concerned at semantic features and stance characteristics of shell nouns. We identify and extract shell nouns of all the sentences of “N that” structure by using a software named AntConc 3.4.4. Then we get all the appropriate shell nouns to be studied. We classify them based on Schmid’s related theory(2000) and Biber’s standards of classifying the two stances.

The results of this study are listed as follows:

1. Mental shell nouns are used more frequently in Government Work Report(42.9%). And the frequency of the use of factual type is equal to that of modal type(28.55%). The high frequency of the use of mental shell nouns demonstrates that Chinese government highlights the ideology construction. It believes that a good thinking construction is capable of speeding up the working efficiency of officials and facilitating Chinese prosperity. It also indicates that government attaches importance to encouragement. Encouragement enables Chinese people to cooperate with government more willingly.
2. In the Report, shell nouns of epistemic stance(57.1%) are more than those of attitudinal stance(42.9%). Shell nouns of epistemic stance embody shell nouns of factual and modal types. They are used to show China’s developing process and China’s solutions to cope with obstacles he met. Those of Attitudinal stance include mental shell nouns.

This study has a far-reaching significance. It would facilitate future studies on shell nouns’ usage based on corpora of political discourses. It is apt to attract more and more researches’ eyes to this field. It assists to the development of this field. Furthermore, the study is favourable to both teaching area and the image of Chinese government.

Key words: Government Work Report, shell nouns, semantic features, stance characteristics, political discourses

中文摘要

作为一种特殊的抽象名词，外壳名词有一个特点：同一个外壳名词能在不同语境下所包含的意思不一样。目前，外壳名词已经激起了很多研究者的研究兴趣。在学术语篇中探讨外壳名词的研究占大多数。

然而，基于政治语篇的外壳名词研究较少。为了促进该研究方向的发展，本研究目的是在政治语篇中探究外壳名词的用法。本文主要关注外壳名词的语义特征和立场特点。它辨别和提取所有 “ N that” 结构的句子中的外壳名词，然后根据Schmid的2000年研究的相关理论和Biber的立场分类标准，对这些外壳名词进行分类。

研究结果如下：

1. 在报告中心理型外壳名词使用频率较高（42.9%）；事实型和情态型的使用频率一样（28.55%）。心理型外壳名词的高频使用表明政府看中思想建设。政府坚信思想建设会提高政府工作人员的工作效率和加快中国走向繁荣昌盛的步伐。此外，它还显示政府很看重鼓励工作的开展。鼓励工作促使中国人民更加配合政府的工作。
2. 在报告中认知立场的外壳名词（57.1%）比态度立场（42.9%）的多。认知立场的外壳名词包括事实型和事件型外壳名词。他们展现了中国的发展历程和中国面对困难时的举措.态度立场的外壳名词包括心理型外壳名词。

该研究具有深远的研究意义，它将促进政治语篇中外壳名词使用情况的研究。它可能让越来越多研究者的注意到这一方向的研究，从而促进其发展。另外，该研究有利于教学领域的发展以及展现中国政府的形象。

关键词：政府工作报告，外壳名词，语义特征，立场特征，政治语篇

Chapter 1. Introduction

This chapter introduces that since shell nouns have been discussed so frequently. It is of significance. The thesis intends to study the use of shell nouns in 2018 Government Work Report. It would specifically focus on semantic categories and evaluative stance characteristics.

1.1 Research background