Terminology, popularisation and ideology in contemporary China

Abstract

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between terminology, the popularisation of scientific and technical knowledge and ideology in the People’s Republic of China. Specifically, it presents a study that focuses on an online daily column entitled ‘Scientific & Technical Term of the Day’ (每日科技名词), a terminology popularisation project promoted by China’s contemporary political leadership and implemented through the digital institutional platform Xuexi qiangguo 学习强国. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of critical discourse studies and legitimation in discourse, as well as frame analysis and frame semantics, the paper presents an analysis of expository texts designed to complement the knowledge provided by terminographic definitions of the terms published in the daily column. The focus is on the framing of China and the Party-state in these texts, which, it is argued, can also be interpreted as legitimation strategies.