A CDA Analysis of Transitivity in China Daily and BBC Reports on China’s Dam Construction

Abstract

The construction of a dam in Western China was one of the hottest international events in 2024, attracting widespread attention from domestic and foreign media. From the perspective of critical discourse analysis (CDA), this paper employs Halliday’s transitivity system as an analytical tool to conduct a comparative analysis of reports on China’s dam construction in Xizang by BBC and China Daily. The aim is to reveal the transitivity characteristics of news discourse and the ideological differences behind them. The study finds that BBC frequently uses emotional vocabulary in material and mental processes, implying a negative stance. In contrast, China Daily constructs a supportive discourse through positive semantic selection. This comparative analysis reveals how different media convey specific ideologies through language choices when reporting on the same event, thereby shaping the public’s understanding of the event.