| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| 摘要 | 第5-6页 |
| Abstract | 第6-10页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第10-13页 |
| ·Background of the Research | 第10-12页 |
| ·Objectives of the Current Study | 第12页 |
| ·Layout of the Thesis | 第12-13页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review & Related Theories | 第13-27页 |
| ·Literature Review | 第13-23页 |
| ·Review of Previous Research on Vague Language | 第13-18页 |
| ·Clarification of Some Related Terms | 第18-20页 |
| ·The Working Definition of Vague Language | 第20-22页 |
| ·Review of Previous Studies on Vague Language in Business Correspondence | 第22-23页 |
| ·Related Theories | 第23-27页 |
| ·Adaptation Theory | 第23-26页 |
| ·Politeness Principle | 第26-27页 |
| Chapter Three Corpus and Research Methodology | 第27-34页 |
| ·Establishment of the Corpus | 第27-30页 |
| ·Selection of Textbooks | 第28-29页 |
| ·Selection of Sample Letters | 第29-30页 |
| ·Methods of Analysis | 第30-34页 |
| ·A Quantitative Study of the Vague Language | 第30-31页 |
| ·A Qualitative Study of the Vague Language | 第31-34页 |
| Chapter Four Results and Discussion | 第34-55页 |
| ·Results | 第34-45页 |
| ·General Situations for Using Vague Language | 第34-35页 |
| ·Specific Contexts for Using Vague Language | 第35-44页 |
| ·Summary | 第44-45页 |
| ·Discussion | 第45-55页 |
| ·Interpretation of Vague Language Use | 第45-51页 |
| ·Pragmatic Effects Vague Language May Bring Forth | 第51-55页 |
| Chapter Five Pedagogical Implications of Present Study | 第55-61页 |
| ·From Teachers’Perspective | 第55-57页 |
| ·At the Level of Students | 第57-58页 |
| ·Some Suggested Teaching Activities | 第58-61页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusion | 第61-64页 |
| ·Review of the Study | 第61-62页 |
| ·Limitations of the Present Research | 第62页 |
| ·Suggestions for Further Study | 第62-64页 |
| References | 第64-67页 |
| Appendix | 第67-72页 |
