Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US

Ming Liu; Yang Yang

doi:10.1007/978-981-95-3505-7_14

Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US

Ming Liu (Corresponding Author)
, Yang Yang

Department of Language Science and Technology

Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceeding › Chapter in an edited book (as author) › Academic research › peer-review

Abstract

This study integrates text mining into discourse analysis to provide a corpus-assisted discourse investigation of crisis communication during the pandemic in the CSR reports of leading corporations in China and the US. Drawing on the theories and methods of text mining, corpus linguistics, and systemic functional linguistics, this research reveals not only the foregrounding of danger as a prominent theme in Chinese and American CSR reports but also their distinct preferences in representing these dangers. The findings highlight not only cultural differences in crisis communication during the pandemic but, more importantly, the potential for a balanced integration, or “synergy”, of systemic functional linguistics and text mining in corpus-assisted discourse studies.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Explorations in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Professor Huang Guowen
Editors	Chengguang Chang, Hui Yu
Publisher	Springer
Chapter	14
Pages	303-324
ISBN (Electronic)	9789819535057
ISBN (Print)	9789819535040
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3505-7_14
Publication status	Published - 22 Feb 2026

Publication series

Name	The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series (TMAKHLFLS)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Keywords

Corporate social responsibility
CSR report
Corporations
Text mining
Corpus linguistics
Systemic functional linguistics
Corpus-assisted discourse study

More information

10.1007/978-981-95-3505-7_14

http://hdl.handle.net/10397/118494

Cite this

Liu, M., & Yang, Y. (2026). Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US. In C. Chang, & H. Yu (Eds.), Explorations in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Professor Huang Guowen (pp. 303-324). (The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series (TMAKHLFLS)). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3505-7_14

Liu, Ming ; Yang, Yang. / Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US. Explorations in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Professor Huang Guowen. editor / Chengguang Chang ; Hui Yu. Springer, 2026. pp. 303-324 (The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series (TMAKHLFLS)).

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abstract = "This study integrates text mining into discourse analysis to provide a corpus-assisted discourse investigation of crisis communication during the pandemic in the CSR reports of leading corporations in China and the US. Drawing on the theories and methods of text mining, corpus linguistics, and systemic functional linguistics, this research reveals not only the foregrounding of danger as a prominent theme in Chinese and American CSR reports but also their distinct preferences in representing these dangers. The findings highlight not only cultural differences in crisis communication during the pandemic but, more importantly, the potential for a balanced integration, or “synergy”, of systemic functional linguistics and text mining in corpus-assisted discourse studies.",

keywords = "Corporate social responsibility, CSR report, Corporations, Text mining, Corpus linguistics, Systemic functional linguistics, Corpus-assisted discourse study",

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Liu, M & Yang, Y 2026, Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US. in C Chang & H Yu (eds), Explorations in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Professor Huang Guowen. The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series (TMAKHLFLS), Springer, pp. 303-324. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3505-7_14

Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US. / Liu, Ming (Corresponding Author); Yang, Yang.
Explorations in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Professor Huang Guowen. ed. / Chengguang Chang; Hui Yu. Springer, 2026. p. 303-324 (The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series (TMAKHLFLS)).

Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceeding › Chapter in an edited book (as author) › Academic research › peer-review

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KW - CSR report

KW - Corporations

KW - Text mining

KW - Corpus linguistics

KW - Systemic functional linguistics

KW - Corpus-assisted discourse study

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Liu M, Yang Y. Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US. In Chang C, Yu H, editors, Explorations in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Professor Huang Guowen. Springer. 2026. p. 303-324. (The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series (TMAKHLFLS)). doi: 10.1007/978-981-95-3505-7_14

Communicating Crises during the Pandemic: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Study of CSR Reports by Top Corporations of China and the US

Abstract

Publication series

UN SDGs

Keywords

More information

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Cite this