Part One：Overview

Chapter 1 Introduction：the Problem Preliminaries

1.1 Origins and Objectives of the Present Study

1.2 Resources,Data Rationale and Terminology in the Present Study

1.2.1 Persuasion in the Sense of Rhetoric,Genre and Linguistics

1.2.2 A Genre-based View of Discourse Analysis and the Promotional Genre Colony

1.2.3 Rhetorical Persuasion as a Socio-semiotic Discourse Act

1.2.4 Evaluation as a Functional Language Phenomenon

1.2.5 A Local Grammar

1.3 Methodology：A Discourse Analytic Approach Combined with Corpus-based Studies of the Functioning of Language

1.4 The Organization of this Dissertation

Chapter 2 Literature Review：Positioning the Study in an Interdisciplinary Landscape

2.1 Burkology：Unending Conversation and Application

2.2 Persuasion as Genre

2.3 Persuasion as Evaluation

Part Two：Theoretical Rationale Construction

Chapter 3 Beyond Deconstruction：Analyzing Socio-semiotic Motives of Persuasion as Discourse Act

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Deconstructing the Dynamics of Motives in Persuasion as Discourse Act

3.2.1 A Burkean Perspective：Human's Dual Relation to Symbolic Action and Symbolic System

3.2.2 The Dynamics of Pentad and Ratios in Persuasion

3.2.3 The Determination of Terministic Screens on Motives Appeal

3.3 Reconstructing the Socio-semiotic Motives in Persuasion as Identification

3.3.1 Socio-semiotic Motives in Persuasion as Identification

3.3.2 Identification：Beyond Traditional Persuasion

3.4 Conclusion

Chapter 4 Persuasive Interdiscursivity in the Promotional Genre Colony

4.1 Theoretical Foundations Scaffolding the Dynamics in Generic Operation

4.1.1 Four Perspectives on Language that Provide Orientation for Genre Studies

4.1.2 Genre—Sites of the Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces at Work in Rhetorical Community

4.2 The Promotional Genre Colony：A Paradigm of Integration

4.2.1 Dynamics in Real World Discourse Challenging Stability in Genre Analysis

4.2.2 The Promotional Genre Colony：Assimilation and Colonization

4.3 Topology：An Interdiscursive Rationale Along Parameters

4.3.1 Topology：A Borrowed Methodology in Contrast to Typology

4.3.2 Interdiscursive Parameters Defining the Topology of the Promotional Genre Colony

Chapter 5 Appraisal：Intersubjective Evaluation in Action

5.1 Key Tenets in SFL Theory Underpinning Appraisal Theory

5.1.1 Language as Socio-semiotic and Semantic Diversification

5.1.2 Modeling Language in Context

5.1.3 Stratification in Language and Context

5.1.4 Modeling Tenor and the Interpersonal

5.2 The Diachronic Evolution of Appraisal Theory

5.3 Key Aspects of Appraisal Theory

5.3.1 Attitude：Intersubjective Affectual Evaluation

5.3.2 Engagement：Evaluation as Heteroglossic Interaction

5.3.3 Graduation：Evaluation as Scaling

Chapter 6 Persuasion：A Three-dimensional Discourse Semantic Construction

6.1 Defining Persuasion as a Three-dimensional Discourse Semantic Construction

6.1.1 Persuasion as a Grammar of Motives

6.1.2 Persuasion as a Generic Action

6.1.3 Persuasion as Evaluative Instantiation

6.2 Systemic,Functional and Socio-cognitive Characteristics of Three-dimensional Model of Persuasion

Part Three：Grammar in Action

Chapter 7 A Persuasive Paradigm in Fundraising Letters as Macro-proposals

7.1 Introduction

7.2 The Persuasive Rationale of Fundraising Letters on Generic Discourse Semantic Level

7.2.1 Genre Status of Fundraising Letters

7.2.2 Interpersonal Stance of Fundraising Letters as Macro-proposal Genre

7.2.3 Move Processing in Fundraising Letters

7.2.4 A Twofold Interpersonal Stance in Fundraising Letters as Macro-proposals

7.3 Analyzing the Local Grammar of Persuasion in Fundraising Letters

7.3.1 Appraisal Enabling Intersubjective Identification

7.3.2 A Corpus-based Research on Attitude Resources in Fundraising Letters

7.3.3 Attitude：Instantiating and Scaffolding Persuasion as Three-dimensional in Fundraising Letters

7.4 Conclusion

Chapter 8 A Persuasive Paradigm in Macro-propositions Embedded in Macro-proposals

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Attitude in Macro-proposition：Scaffolding and Instantiating Meta-relations of Identification

8.2.1 Macro-proposition：A Symbolic Action in the Construction of Persuasion as Identification

8.2.2 Generic Organization of a Macro-proposition as Narrative

8.2.3 Attitude：Constructing Meta-relations of Identification in Macro-proposition

8.3 Attitude in Macro-proposition：Growth-points of Generic Organizations

8.3.1 Preliminaries：Twofold Evaluation in Discourse

8.3.2 Problem-solution Pattern：A Generic Pattern of Persuasion Constructed by Attitude

8.3.3 A Text Matrix Growing from Attitude in Macro-proposition

8.3.4 Problem-solution Pattern in Expansion：Recycling Operation

8.4 Conclusion

Chapter 9 A Persuasive Paradigm in RA Introductions as Macro-propositions

9.1 Introduction

9.2 RA Introduction：Site of Disciplinary Persuasion

9.2.1 Academic Persuasion in Disciplinary Rhetorical Communities

9.2.2 Disciplinary Persuasion in RA Introductions as Macro-propositions

9.2.3 Exploring Grammar of Persuasion in RA Introductions

9.3 A Corpus-based Research on Attitude and Graduation in RA Introductions

9.3.1 Preferences of Inscribed Attitude in RA Introductions

9.3.2 Graduation：Aligning Readership through Positioning Academic Actions on Clines

9.4 Analyzing Multi-dimensional Persuasion in RA Introductions

9.4.1 Scene-act Ratio as Logos Appeal：Appraisals Instantiating Generic Discourse Semantics

9.4.2 Pentad Gestalt as Ethos Appeal：Disciplinary Persuasion Realized as Grammar of Motives

9.5 Conclusion

Chapter 10 A Persuasive Paradigm as Negotiating Identification in Disciplinary Heteroglossia

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Identification：Engaged in Heteroglossic Discursive Construction of Solidarity

10.3 An Engagement Framework in Disciplinary Persuasion

10.3.1 Monoglossia

10.3.2 Dialogic Expansion Construing Heteroglossia：Entertain

10.3.3 Dialogic Expansion Construing Heteroglossia：Attribution

10.3.4 Dialogic Contraction Construing Heteroglossia：Disclaim

10.3.5 Dialogic Contraction Construing Heteroglossia：Proclaim

10.4 A Case Study of Identification as Engagement in Disciplinary Heteroglossia

10.5 Conclusion

Part Four：Epilogue

Chapter 11 Conclusions,Contributions and Directions for Further Research

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Major Research Findings

11.2.1 Persuasion：A Three-dimensional Discourse Semantic Construction

11.2.2 Model in Actions

11.3 General Contributions of this Study

11.3.1 Contributions to Interdisciplinary Theoretical Developments

11.3.2 Contributions to Pedagogy in ESP and EAP

11.4 Further Directions for Research

Appendix Ⅰ FR Data：Analyses of Attitude

Appendix Ⅱ RA Introduction Data：Analyses of Graduation and Inscribed Attitude

Bibliography