| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第8-9页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第9页 |
| 摘要 | 第10-14页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅰ INTRODUCTION | 第14-18页 |
| 1.1 Research Background | 第14页 |
| 1.2 Significance of the Research | 第14-16页 |
| 1.3 Research Objectives and Research Questions | 第16页 |
| 1.4 Outline of the Thesis | 第16-18页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅱ LITERATURE REVIEW | 第18-33页 |
| 2.1 The History and Establishment of Vague Language Theory | 第18-19页 |
| 2.2 A Review of Previous Linguistic Studies of Vagueness At Home And Abroad Early vagueness explorations have long been confined to the fields of logic and | 第19-26页 |
| 2.2.1 Previous Semantics Studies of Vagueness at Home and Abroad | 第20-23页 |
| 2.2.2 Previous Pragmatics Studies of Vagueness at Home and Abroad | 第23-26页 |
| 2.3 Vagueness Studies in Legal Language at Home and Abroad | 第26-29页 |
| 2.4 Vagueness Studies in Business English at Home and Abroad | 第29-30页 |
| 2.5 Remaining Problems and Limitations of Previous Vagueness Studies | 第30-33页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅲ THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RELATED CONCEPTS | 第33-43页 |
| 3.1 Theoretical Framework | 第33-37页 |
| 3.1.1 Cooperative Principle | 第33-34页 |
| 3.1.2 Politeness Principle | 第34-35页 |
| 3.1.3 Relevance Theory | 第35-37页 |
| 3.2 Related Concepts in the Present Study | 第37-43页 |
| 3.2.1 Clarification of Similar Terms and Definition of Vagueness | 第37-40页 |
| 3.2.2 An Introduction of International Sales Contract | 第40-43页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅳ RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | 第43-48页 |
| 4.1 Data Collection | 第43-44页 |
| 4.2 Research Instrument | 第44-46页 |
| 4.3 Analytical Procedure | 第46-47页 |
| 4.4 Classification of Vague Expressions for Analyses | 第47-48页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅴ ANALYSES AND DISCUSSIONS | 第48-71页 |
| 5.1 General Situation of Vague Expressions in the Nine Types of Clauses | 第48-49页 |
| 5.2 Presence of Vague Expressions in Each Type of Clause | 第49-64页 |
| 5.2.1 Vague Expressions in Quantity Clauses | 第51-53页 |
| 5.2.2 Vague Expressions in Quality Clauses | 第53-55页 |
| 5.2.3 Vague Expressions in Packing Clauses | 第55-56页 |
| 5.2.4 Vague Expressions in Shipment Clauses | 第56-57页 |
| 5.2.5 Vague Expressions in Payment Clauses | 第57-58页 |
| 5.2.6 Vague Expressions in Inspection Clauses | 第58-60页 |
| 5.2.7 Vague Expressions in Force Majeure Clauses | 第60-62页 |
| 5.2.8 Vague Expressions in Arbitration Clauses | 第62-63页 |
| 5.2.9 Vague Expressions in Claim Clauses | 第63-64页 |
| 5.3 Analyses of Vagueness within the Framework of Cooperative Principle,Politeness Principle and Relevance Theory | 第64-71页 |
| 5.3.1 Application of Cooperative Principle | 第64-67页 |
| 5.3.2 Application of Politeness Principle | 第67-68页 |
| 5.3.3 Application of Relevance Theory | 第68-71页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅵ CONCLUSIONS | 第71-78页 |
| 6.1 Major Findings | 第71-75页 |
| 6.2 Implications | 第75-76页 |
| 6.3 Limitations of the Present Study and Suggestions for Further Studies | 第76-78页 |
| WORKS CITED | 第78-81页 |
| APPENDIX Ⅰ SALES CONTRACT | 第81-84页 |
| APPENDIX Ⅱ CLAUSES CITED IN THE THESIS | 第84-88页 |
