A Comparative study of Thematic Model from the Perspective of Textual Meta-Function: A Case Study of Top Chinese and Foreign Universities’ English Promotional Videos

Abstract

English promotional videos are crucial tools for image dissemination in universities, playing a key role in shaping institutional branding, attracting potential students, and enhancing social awareness. While numerous studies have explored the linguistic characteristics of university promotional videos from a semiotic perspective, systematic analyses from the perspective of textual meta-function remain relatively scarce. This study, utilizing the UAM Corpus Tool, investigates the thematic structure of English promotional videos from 89 universities in China and abroad through the lens of textual meta-function. By analyzing the thematic model of these videos, the research reveals both similarities and differences in how universities construct their images. Both Chinese and foreign promotional videos emphasize clarity and organization of information, thereby establishing a core role in the discourse meaning construction process: educational and academic disseminators. Additionally, the mode roles in the discourse meaning construction process for Chinese universities’ English promotional videos (UEPVs) are characterized as Contributors and Narrators, whereas foreign UEPVs tend to emphasize the roles of inspirators and guides.