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individual, or to a group, or even to a nation. Thus, it is necessary to categorize the levels of face, even in the break-down of its factors and/or attributes.
In face situations, aside from the nature of the elements which may be enhancing or threatening to face, the situations may be directed to oneself (China) or others (other countries). Thus, there are four face situations to be coded. They are
A: Face-enhancing situation for oneself (China and her people);
B: Face-threatening situation for oneself (China and her people);
X: Face-enhancing situation for others (other countries and people);
Y: Face-threatening situation for others (other countries and people);
For the factors and attributes concerned, they are tabled in three columns (Table 4). The first column contains the three basic factors of face and the combinations of them. The third column is the fourth factor, other's reactions as depicted in the press and the position of the press is illustrated in Figure 3B. The fourth column is not mentioned, it should be the third column's next column, so it is the three face attributes and the combinations among them. Since the present sample is a collection of sports news which centre upon sportsmen, the categories could be listed as follows:-
1) Athletes (players, coaches, trainers, in a specific game);
2) Team (the delegation as a whole);
3) People (belonging to the same country of the athletes/team);
4) Nation/Country (of the same as the athletes/team);
5) Party/Government (of the same country as the athletes/team);
6) Other than the above.
All articles in the sample (including comments, medal tables, reviews and poetic works excluding captions of photos) are studied. The unit of analysis would be complete sentence, i.e., a chain of words ended with a period (including headlines). Each separate heading in tables would be counted as one sentence. All sentences that contain elements of face, i.e., the factors and attributes of face, would be deemed as value sentences. These value sentences would be coded in terms of their themes (face