| Acknowledgements | 第1-6页 |
| Abstract | 第6-7页 |
| 摘要 | 第7-11页 |
| Symbols and Abbreviations | 第11-13页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第13-15页 |
| ·The purpose and significance of the study | 第13页 |
| ·Layout of the dissertation | 第13-15页 |
| Chapter 2 the Nature of MN | 第15-30页 |
| ·Brief introduction of MN | 第15-20页 |
| ·MN as a kind of marked negation | 第15页 |
| ·MN as a kind of external negation | 第15-16页 |
| ·Distinction between MN and DN in a general sense | 第16-18页 |
| ·Distinction on Interpretative Mechanism between MN and DN | 第18-20页 |
| ·Classification of MN | 第20-24页 |
| ·Negation of presupposition | 第20页 |
| ·Negation of conversational implicature | 第20-22页 |
| ·Negation of utterance focus or connotation | 第22-23页 |
| ·Negation of social connotation | 第23-24页 |
| ·Negation of linguistic device | 第24页 |
| ·Forms of MN | 第24-26页 |
| ·Properties of MN | 第26-30页 |
| Chapter 3 Literature Review of MN | 第30-46页 |
| ·Studies abroad on MN | 第30-38页 |
| ·Studying MN originated from Ducrot | 第30-31页 |
| ·Studying MN from Horn’s point of view | 第31-32页 |
| ·Studying MN from Roberts’s point of view | 第32-33页 |
| ·Studying MN from Carston and other scholars’points of view | 第33-38页 |
| ·Studies at Home on MN | 第38-43页 |
| ·Shen Jiaxuan’s explanation of MN as Pragmatic Negation | 第38-40页 |
| ·Xu Shenghuan’s explanation of MN as Implicature Negation | 第40-41页 |
| ·Other scholars’research on MN at home | 第41-43页 |
| ·Critique of Previous Studies | 第43-46页 |
| Chapter 4 Analyzing MN from the perspective of Relevance Theory | 第46-53页 |
| ·A general account of Relevance Theory | 第46-49页 |
| ·Application of Relevance Theory on explanation of MN | 第49-53页 |
| ·Distinction between MN and DN in terms of degree of relevance | 第49-50页 |
| ·Application of Relevance-theoretical inferential process on explaining MN | 第50-53页 |
| Chapter 5 Analysis of MN from Pragmatic Approach | 第53-69页 |
| ·Analyzing MN within the framework of Neo-Gricean Pragmatic Apparatus | 第53-61页 |
| ·Main idea of Classic Gricean Conversational Implicature Theory | 第53-54页 |
| ·Brief comment on Neo-Gricean Pragmatic Apparatus | 第54-57页 |
| ·Quantity-principle (Q-principle) | 第54-55页 |
| ·Scalar Quantity Implicature (Horn Scale) | 第55-56页 |
| ·Informativeness-principle (I-principle) | 第56-57页 |
| ·Manner-principle (M-principle) | 第57页 |
| ·Application of Neo-Gricean Pragmatic Apparatus on analysis of MN | 第57-61页 |
| ·Comment on HSMN | 第57-60页 |
| ·Explanation of SRMN | 第60-61页 |
| ·Pragmatic functions of Metalinguistic Negation | 第61-69页 |
| ·Generalized Functions of MN | 第62-63页 |
| ·Unexpected effect | 第62页 |
| ·Emphatic effect | 第62-63页 |
| ·Specified functions of MN | 第63-69页 |
| ·Rejection | 第63页 |
| ·Statement of attitude or representation of mind | 第63-64页 |
| ·Shirking responsibility | 第64-65页 |
| ·Exhibition of humorous effect | 第65-66页 |
| ·Suspense-yielding | 第66-67页 |
| ·Mitigation effect | 第67-68页 |
| ·Serving as a special linguistic device | 第68-69页 |
| Chapter 6 Conclusion | 第69-71页 |
| ·Summary of negations and main theoretical theories | 第69-70页 |
| ·Limitations | 第70-71页 |
| References | 第71-74页 |
