| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第5-6页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第6页 |
| 摘要 | 第7-10页 |
| CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION | 第10-14页 |
| 1.1 Research Questions | 第11页 |
| 1.2 Rationale of the Research | 第11-12页 |
| 1.3 Structure of the Thesis | 第12页 |
| 1.4 Data Collection and Research Methodology | 第12-14页 |
| CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW | 第14-20页 |
| 2.1 Previous Studies on Hedges in Advertising Language | 第14-17页 |
| 2.1.1 Study on Hedges in Advertising English by Pedro A. Fuertes-Olivera et al | 第14-15页 |
| 2.1.2 Study on Probability Hedges in Advertising by Ivana Bu ljeta Banks and Patrick De Pelsmacker | 第15-16页 |
| 2.1.3 Study on Hedges in Job Postings by Xiaoli Fu | 第16-17页 |
| 2.1.4 Study on Hedges in Advertising by Other Scholars | 第17页 |
| 2.2 Summary | 第17-20页 |
| CHAPTER THREE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK | 第20-28页 |
| 3.1 Taxonomy of Hedges | 第20-22页 |
| 3.1.1 Taxonomy of Hedges Proposed by Different Scholars | 第20-21页 |
| 3.1.2 Taxonomy of Hedges Adopted in the Present Research | 第21-22页 |
| 3.2 Pragmatic Functions of Hedges within Relevance Theory | 第22-28页 |
| 3.2.1 Hedges and Discourse Analysis | 第23页 |
| 3.2.2 Hedges and Politeness | 第23-24页 |
| 3.2.3 Theoretical Framework | 第24-28页 |
| CHAPTER FOUR ANALYSIS OF THE PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF HEDGES IN COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS BASED ON RELEVANCE THEORY | 第28-54页 |
| 4.1 Different Types of Hedges in Commercial Advertising | 第28-36页 |
| 4.1.1 Approximators | 第28-30页 |
| 4.1.2 Shields | 第30-31页 |
| 4.1.3 Modal Auxiliaries | 第31-32页 |
| 4.1.4 Vague Scalar Predicates | 第32-33页 |
| 4.1.5 Strategic Hedges | 第33-36页 |
| 4.2 Pragmatic Functions of Hedges within Relevance Theory | 第36-52页 |
| 4.2.1 Functioning as Cognitive Constraints | 第37-47页 |
| 4.2.3 Functioning as Politeness Strategies | 第47-52页 |
| 4.3 Summary | 第52-54页 |
| CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION | 第54-58页 |
| 5.1 Major Findings | 第54-56页 |
| 5.2 Limitations of Present Research | 第56-57页 |
| 5.3 Suggestions for Further Study | 第57-58页 |
| REFERENCES | 第58-61页 |
