| Acknowledgements | 第1-4页 |
| Abstract | 第4-7页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第7-9页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第9-19页 |
| ·Power and Solidarity | 第9-16页 |
| ·Definitions of Power and Solidarity | 第9-10页 |
| ·Linguistic Signals of Power and Solidarity | 第10-11页 |
| ·Previous Researches and Findings | 第11-16页 |
| ·A Brief Introduction to Face-work | 第16-17页 |
| ·Politeness Systems | 第17-19页 |
| Chapter Three E-mail vs. Paper-based Mail | 第19-28页 |
| ·A Brief History of E-mail | 第19-20页 |
| ·Differences between E-mail and Paper-based Mail | 第20-28页 |
| ·Format Features of Paper-based Mail | 第20-21页 |
| ·Linguistic Features of Paper-based Mail | 第21-22页 |
| ·Format Features of E-mail | 第22-23页 |
| ·Linguistic Features of E-mail | 第23-25页 |
| ·Communicative Features of E-mail | 第25-28页 |
| Chapter Four A Study of Power and Language Use in E-mail Exchanges in International Corporations in China | 第28-39页 |
| ·Rationale of the Study | 第28-29页 |
| ·Data and Subjects | 第29-30页 |
| ·Methods | 第30-31页 |
| ·Results and Analysis | 第31-39页 |
| ·Address Forms | 第31-32页 |
| ·Relational Modality | 第32-35页 |
| ·Case Study | 第35-39页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第39-42页 |
| ·Discussion | 第39-40页 |
| ·Significance | 第40-41页 |
| ·Limitations | 第41-42页 |
| References | 第42-45页 |
| Appendix Ⅰ Sentences with Relational Modality in E-mail Samples | 第45-50页 |
| Appendix Ⅱ Raw Counts of Modal Operators of Obligation in E-mails of Different Categories | 第50-52页 |
| Appendix Ⅲ Sample E-mails | 第52页 |
