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Abstract One defining feature of local grammar research is that it uses functional-semantic terminologies to analyze language used in specialized contexts. This kind of analysis can facilitate the exploration of the discursive representation of specific social events or discourse objects, which indicates that local grammars could have potential value in critical discourse studies. This study therefore employs the local grammar approach to explore the discursive representation of Covid-19 in Chinese and American news media, aiming to enrich the toolkit of critical discourse studies. The study shows that there are both qualitative similarities and quantitative differences in the ways Covid-19 was discursively represented, which points to discrepancies in reporting, preventing, and controlling Covid-19 in the two societies. The study shows that local grammars help to identify the semantic roles of the target social event or discourse object, thereby contributing to the exploration of its discursive representation and the association between language use and social reality. Local grammar can thus be considered a potentially useful and new approach to critical discourse studies.
Key words: local grammar; critical discourse studies; Covid-19; discursive representation
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