| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| Abstract | 第5-7页 |
| 摘要 | 第7-11页 |
| List of diagrams | 第11-12页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第12-17页 |
| ·Object of the Study | 第12-13页 |
| ·Significance of the Study | 第13-14页 |
| ·Purpose of the Study | 第14-15页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第15-17页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第17-25页 |
| ·Relevant Research on Vagueness | 第17-21页 |
| ·Philosophical Approach | 第17-19页 |
| ·Linguistic Approach | 第19-21页 |
| ·Relevant Research on Pragmatic Vagueness | 第21-23页 |
| ·Research by Foreign Scholars | 第21-22页 |
| ·Research by Chinese Scholars | 第22-23页 |
| ·Contributions and Limitations of Previous Research | 第23-25页 |
| Chapter Three Theoretical Framework and Research Methodology | 第25-33页 |
| ·Theoretical Framework-the Relevance-Adaptation Model | 第25-31页 |
| ·Relevance-Adaptation Model and Its Further Development | 第25-30页 |
| ·The Notion "Context" in Relevance-Adaptation Model | 第30-31页 |
| ·Summary | 第31页 |
| ·Research Methodology | 第31-33页 |
| ·Research Methodology | 第31-32页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第32-33页 |
| Chapter Four Analysis of Pragmatic Vagueness in the Press Conference | 第33-61页 |
| ·Characteristics of Vagueness in Diplomatic Language | 第33-35页 |
| ·Linguistic Variability of Pragmatic Vagueness in the Press conference | 第35-51页 |
| ·Pragmatic Vagueness at the Lexical Level | 第35-45页 |
| ·Pragmatic Vagueness at the Sentential Level | 第45-49页 |
| ·Pragmatic Vagueness at the Discourse Level | 第49-51页 |
| ·The Adaptation of Pragmatic Vagueness in the Press Conference | 第51-54页 |
| ·Pragmatic Vagueness as Adaptation to Social Communicative Norms | 第52-53页 |
| ·Pragmatic Vagueness as Adaptation to Diplomatic Strategies | 第53-54页 |
| ·Functions of Pragmatic Vagueness in the Press Conference | 第54-56页 |
| ·Enhancing the Flexibility of the Spokesperson's Remarks | 第55页 |
| ·Maintaining the Power of the Spokesperson's Remarks and the Foreign Policy | 第55-56页 |
| ·Protecting Others' Face and Mitigating Embarrassment of the Remarks | 第56页 |
| ·Creating Favorable International Environment for China's Development | 第56页 |
| ·Mechanisms of Pragmatic Vagueness | 第56-60页 |
| ·The Production Mechanism of Pragmatic Vagueness | 第57-58页 |
| ·The Interpretation Mechanism of Pragmatic Vagueness | 第58-60页 |
| ·Summary | 第60-61页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第61-65页 |
| ·Major Findings of the Study | 第61-62页 |
| ·Implications of the Study | 第62-64页 |
| ·Limitations and Suggestions for Further Exploration | 第64-65页 |
| References | 第65-69页 |
| Publications | 第69页 |
