Proximization theory and the construction of international values: A case study of president xi jinping’s speech at the 70th session of the un general assembly

Abstract

—Under the cognitive linguistics approach to CDS (Critical Discourse Study), this paper selects the construal operation of “deixis” and takes Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly as a corpus in order to examine through the cognitive-pragmatic model of proximization theory how this text delivers the international value of “a community of shared future for mankind.” The three dimensions of “spatial proximization,” “temporal proximization,” and “axiological proximization” serve as analytical tools for evaluating discourse strategies in political discourse and the shaping of international values with Chinese characteristics. The study shows that proximization theory could be well suited to critical discourse analysis and its spatial-temporal-axiological (STA) model possess the specific explanatory power in value construction.