| DECLARATION | 第1-4页 |
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第4-5页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第5-12页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第12-20页 |
| ·The Object of the Present Study | 第12-15页 |
| ·The Rationale of the Research | 第15-16页 |
| ·Problems Unsolved in the Existing Studies | 第16-17页 |
| ·The Objective of the Study | 第17-18页 |
| ·The Methodology of the Study | 第18页 |
| ·Outline of the Paper | 第18-20页 |
| Chapter Two A Brief Review of the Relevant Literature | 第20-40页 |
| ·Introduction | 第20页 |
| ·Approaches to the Study of SM | 第20-38页 |
| ·The rhetoric approach | 第21-22页 |
| ·The semantic approach | 第22-24页 |
| ·The cognitive approach | 第24-29页 |
| ·The pragmatic approaches | 第29-38页 |
| ·Grice's view | 第30-34页 |
| ·Searle's view | 第34-36页 |
| ·Summary | 第36-38页 |
| ·Achievements and Limitations of the Past Researches | 第38-40页 |
| Chapter Three A Description of the Conceptual Framework | 第40-51页 |
| ·Introduction | 第40页 |
| ·The Delimitation of SM | 第40-42页 |
| ·The Basis of the Conceptual Framework--Verschueren's LAT | 第42-46页 |
| ·The Characterization of the Conceptual Framework | 第46-51页 |
| ·SM: a result of linguistic choices | 第46-47页 |
| ·SM: a product of adaptation | 第47-49页 |
| ·SM: a product of communicative needs | 第49-51页 |
| Chapter Four Analysis of SM as Realization of Adaptability | 第51-70页 |
| ·Introduction | 第51页 |
| ·Linguistic Realization of SM | 第51-59页 |
| ·Identification of SM | 第51-57页 |
| ·Structural metaphorical cues | 第51-56页 |
| ·Pragmatic clue | 第56-57页 |
| ·The essential semantic features of SM | 第57-59页 |
| ·Contradiction | 第57-58页 |
| ·Ambiguity | 第58-59页 |
| ·Contextual Correlates Affecting the Choice of SM | 第59-68页 |
| ·A rough picture of contextual correlates | 第59-60页 |
| ·SM as a means of adaptation to the social world | 第60-66页 |
| ·Adapting to social settings | 第60-62页 |
| ·Adapting to social norms | 第62-64页 |
| ·Adapting to pragmatic distance | 第64-66页 |
| ·SM as a means of adaptation to the mental world | 第66-68页 |
| ·Summary | 第68-70页 |
| Chapter Five Functioning of SM in TV talk shows | 第70-82页 |
| ·Introduction | 第70页 |
| ·The Properties of Functioning of SM | 第70-72页 |
| ·Looseness | 第70-71页 |
| ·Implicitness | 第71页 |
| ·Discrepancy | 第71-72页 |
| ·Interpersonal Functions of SM | 第72-81页 |
| ·Resolving interpersonal conflicts | 第72-77页 |
| ·Mitigation | 第73-75页 |
| ·Self protecting | 第75-77页 |
| ·Maintaining interpersonal harmony | 第77-81页 |
| ·Cultivating intimacy | 第78-79页 |
| ·Shorten the pragmatic distance | 第79-81页 |
| ·Summary | 第81-82页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusion | 第82-87页 |
| ·Introduction | 第82页 |
| ·Summary of the Major Findings | 第82-84页 |
| ·SM: a communicative device in communication | 第82-83页 |
| ·SM: a strategy to meet the speaker's communicative goals | 第83-84页 |
| ·Implications | 第84-85页 |
| ·Limitations | 第85-86页 |
| ·Suggestions for Future Study | 第86-87页 |
| Bibliograiphy | 第87-92页 |
