| Acknowledgements | 第3-5页 |
| Abstract | 第5-7页 |
| 摘要 | 第8-16页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第16-22页 |
| 1.1 Background of the Research | 第16-17页 |
| 1.2 Significance of the Research | 第17-18页 |
| 1.3 Motivations for the Research | 第18页 |
| 1.4 Research Questions and Methods | 第18-20页 |
| 1.5 Organization of the Thesis | 第20-22页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第22-31页 |
| 2.1 Foreign Studies on Stance Markers | 第22-25页 |
| 2.1.1 Semantic Classifications of Stance Markers | 第23-25页 |
| 2.1.2 The Form Classification of Stance | 第25页 |
| 2.2 Domestic Studies on Stance Markers | 第25-29页 |
| 2.2.1 Three Mainstream Approaches to Stance Markers | 第26-29页 |
| 2.2.2 Cognitive Linguistics Approach to Stance Markers | 第29页 |
| 2.3 Advantages and Limitations of the Previous Studies | 第29-31页 |
| Chapter Three Theoretical Framework | 第31-40页 |
| 3.1 Construction Grammar | 第31-35页 |
| 3.1.1 Seven Approaches of Construction Grammar | 第31-34页 |
| 3.1.2 Shared Principles of Construction Grammar | 第34-35页 |
| 3.2 The Connections Between Construction Grammar and Stance Markers | 第35-37页 |
| 3.2.1 Integration and High Frequency | 第35页 |
| 3.2.2 Usage-Based Account | 第35-36页 |
| 3.2.3 Constructional Change and Constructionalization | 第36-37页 |
| 3.3 Meaning Continuum of Stance Marker Construction | 第37-39页 |
| 3.4 Summary | 第39-40页 |
| Chapter Four A Case Study of It Be X That Y Construction | 第40-83页 |
| 4.1 Motivations of It Be X That Y Construction | 第40-41页 |
| 4.2 The Formal Properties of It Be X That Y Construction | 第41-49页 |
| 4.2.1 Slot X Filled in One Word | 第43-47页 |
| 4.2.2 Slot X Filled in Two Words | 第47页 |
| 4.2.3 Slot X Filled in Three Words and Above | 第47-49页 |
| 4.3 The Meaning Properties of It Be X That Y Construction | 第49-77页 |
| 4.3.1 A Cognitive Interpretation of It Be X That Y Construction | 第49-52页 |
| 4.3.2 The Prototypical Meaning of It Be X That Y Construction | 第52-55页 |
| 4.3.3 Polysemy of It Be X That Y Construction | 第55-63页 |
| 4.3.4 The Semantic Constraints on X | 第63-77页 |
| 4.4 The Major Characteristics of It Be X That Y Construction | 第77-82页 |
| 4.4.1 The Inheritance of It Be X That Y Construction | 第77-79页 |
| 4.4.2 The Productivity of It Be X That Y Construction | 第79-80页 |
| 4.4.3 The Prototypicality of It Be X That Y Construction | 第80页 |
| 4.4.4 The Interaction of It Be X That Y Construction | 第80-82页 |
| 4.5 Summary | 第82-83页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第83-87页 |
| 5.1 Major Findings | 第83-86页 |
| 5.2 Limitations and Suggestions | 第86-87页 |
| References | 第87-95页 |
