| Acknowledgements | 第1-4页 |
| Abstract in Chinese | 第4-5页 |
| Abstract in English | 第5-9页 |
| Introduction | 第9-13页 |
| ·Conventional Metaphor and novel metaphor | 第9-11页 |
| ·Overview of the thesis | 第11-13页 |
| Chapter 1 Literature Review | 第13-20页 |
| ·Rhetoric approach to metaphor | 第13-14页 |
| ·Semantic approach to metaphor | 第14-15页 |
| ·Pragmatic approach to metaphor | 第15-17页 |
| ·Cognitive approach to metaphor | 第17-20页 |
| Chapter 2 Theoretical Basis—Relevance Theory | 第20-28页 |
| ·Definition of relevance | 第20-22页 |
| ·Principles of relevance | 第22-24页 |
| ·Cognitive context | 第24-28页 |
| Chapter 3 A Relevance—theoretic Framework to Novel Metaphor Understanding | 第28-38页 |
| ·Metaphor as a descriptive use of language | 第28-32页 |
| ·Descriptive and interpretive dimensions of language use | 第28-30页 |
| ·Descriptive uses of language and attitude of beliefs | 第30-32页 |
| ·Metaphor as Loose Talk | 第32-35页 |
| ·Literalness and looseness | 第32-33页 |
| ·Loose talk and effort demanding | 第33-35页 |
| ·Notion of metaphoricity | 第35-38页 |
| Chapter 4 The Cognitive—pragmatic Process of Novel Metaphor Understanding | 第38-46页 |
| ·Identification of explicature | 第38-41页 |
| ·Identification of implicature | 第41-43页 |
| ·Achieving optimal relevance | 第43-46页 |
| Chapter 5 Cognitive and Communicative Functions of Novel Metaphor Understanding | 第46-52页 |
| ·Cognitive instrument | 第46-48页 |
| ·Communicative device | 第48-49页 |
| ·Extra efforts and poetic effects | 第49-52页 |
| Conclusion | 第52-54页 |
| Bibliography | 第54-56页 |
