| Acknowledgements | 第1-6页 |
| Abstract in English | 第6-8页 |
| Abstract in Chinese | 第8-12页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第12-20页 |
| ·Talk Show: a Semi-institutional Discourse | 第12-14页 |
| ·Delimitation of the Probing Speech Act | 第14-17页 |
| ·Research Purpose | 第17页 |
| ·Research Methodology: A Case Study of Oprah Show | 第17-18页 |
| ·Thesis Framework | 第18-20页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第20-23页 |
| ·Previous Studies on Speech Acts | 第20-21页 |
| ·Previous Studies on TV Talk Shows | 第21-23页 |
| Chapter 3 Theoretical Bases | 第23-29页 |
| ·Austin’s and Searle’s Theories on Speech Acts | 第23-26页 |
| ·Trichotomy of Speech Acts | 第23-24页 |
| ·Felicity Conditions for Performing a Speech Act | 第24-25页 |
| ·Primary and Secondary Illocutionary Acts | 第25页 |
| ·Classification of Illocutionary Acts | 第25-26页 |
| ·Brown & Levinson’s Theory on Politeness | 第26-29页 |
| Chapter 4 Formal Realizations of the Probing Speech Act | 第29-39页 |
| ·Phonetic Features of the Probing Speech Act | 第29-31页 |
| ·Lexical Features of the Probing Speech Act | 第31-32页 |
| ·Syntactic Features of the Probing Speech Act | 第32-37页 |
| ·Discoursal Features of the Probing Speech Act | 第37-39页 |
| Chapter 5 Semantic Strategies of the Probing Speech Act | 第39-46页 |
| ·Sentences Concerning the Speaker | 第40-42页 |
| ·Sentences Concerning the Hearer | 第42-43页 |
| ·Sentences Concerning the Act | 第43-46页 |
| Chapter 6 Pragmatic Interpretation of the Probing Speech Act | 第46-58页 |
| ·Pragmatic Realizations of Probing as a Primary Illocutionary Act | 第46-50页 |
| ·Probing Act Realized by Interrogative | 第47-48页 |
| ·Probing Act Realized by Assertive | 第48-49页 |
| ·Probing Act Realized by Directive | 第49-50页 |
| ·Politeness Strategies of the Probing Speech Act | 第50-58页 |
| ·Positive Politeness Strategy of the Probing Speech Act | 第53-54页 |
| ·Negative Politeness Strategy of the Probing Speech Act | 第54-56页 |
| ·Off-record Politeness Strategy of the Probing Speech Act | 第56-58页 |
| Chapter 7 Conclusion | 第58-60页 |
| Bibliography | 第60-63页 |
| 攻读硕士期间的科研成果 | 第63页 |
