Nominalization and the Construction of Power

Nominalization is rarely discussed in critical discourse analysis. Based on the theory of systemic-functional linguistics, this paper explored the definition and classification of nominalization, its effect of thingness, abstraction, condensation and fuzziness, the nominalization of modality, appraisal meaning, and the omission of mood, as well as the textual function of nominalization in relation to their role in power construction. The study shows that nominalization can be employed by the addresser to construct specific ideational, interpersonal and textual meanings according to his/her own intention, control the construing of the world by the text, and manipulate the addressees interpretation of the text, so as to construct advantageous power relations.