Cross-linguistic patterns of functional coherence in English, Chinese, and Thai news discourse: A rhetorical structure theory approach

This study investigates how English, Chinese, and Thai news texts achieve functional coherence through rhetorical structuring. Using Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST), it compares 60 domestic news articles (20 per language), each originally written in its respective language, to examine how rhetorical relations organize discourse and guide reader interpretation. Results reveal that all three languages rely heavily on elaborative and backgrounding strategies, reflecting shared preferences for informative clarity. However, English demonstrates stronger contextualization and linear progression, Chinese maintains a balanced rhetorical mix, and Thai exhibits greater flexibility with frequent causal and interpretive relations. These findings highlight both universal and culture-specific approaches to constructing interactional coherence in news discourse, with implications for cross-cultural communication, discourse pedagogy, and English as a lingua franca (ELF) awareness.