| Acknowledgements | 第1-4页 |
| English Abstract | 第4-7页 |
| Chinese Abstract | 第7-9页 |
| Table of Contents (English) | 第9-12页 |
| Table of Contents (Chinese) | 第12-14页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第14-20页 |
| ·The object of the present research | 第14-16页 |
| ·The rationale of the research | 第16页 |
| ·Problems with the existing studies | 第16-17页 |
| ·The objective of the study | 第17-18页 |
| ·Methodology and data collection | 第18-19页 |
| ·Outline of the thesis | 第19-20页 |
| Chapter Two A Review of the Relevant Literature | 第20-35页 |
| ·Introduction | 第20页 |
| ·Terminological issue | 第20-26页 |
| ·The definition of topic | 第20-23页 |
| ·The classification of topic | 第23-24页 |
| ·On topic change | 第24-26页 |
| ·Approaches to topic change | 第26-32页 |
| ·The cognitive approach | 第27-28页 |
| ·The sociolinguistic approach | 第28-29页 |
| ·The discourse analysis approach | 第29-31页 |
| ·The pragmatic approach | 第31-32页 |
| ·Working definition of topic change | 第32-34页 |
| ·Summary | 第34-35页 |
| Chapter Three Description of the Conceptual Framework | 第35-43页 |
| ·Adiscussion of the basis of the framework | 第35-39页 |
| ·On pragmatics | 第35-36页 |
| ·Verschueren's linguistic adaptation theory | 第36-38页 |
| ·Turn-taking and topic change | 第38-39页 |
| ·A characterization of the conceptual framework | 第39-42页 |
| ·Topic change: a process of choice-making | 第39-40页 |
| ·Topic change: a product of negotiation and adaptation | 第40-41页 |
| ·Topic change: a result of variability in linguistic elements | 第41-42页 |
| ·Summary | 第42-43页 |
| Chapter Four Adaptability of Topic Change | 第43-49页 |
| ·Introduction | 第43页 |
| ·Adaptation to social world | 第43-45页 |
| ·Adaptation to mental world | 第45-47页 |
| ·Adaptation to physical world | 第47-48页 |
| ·Summary | 第48-49页 |
| Chapter Five The Model of Topic Change | 第49-61页 |
| ·Introduction | 第49页 |
| ·Analytical procedures | 第49-59页 |
| ·Self-change | 第49-54页 |
| ·Changing topic by using change signals | 第50-52页 |
| ·Changing topic by using linguistic reality | 第52-53页 |
| ·Changing topic by shifting the angle of the main topic | 第53-54页 |
| ·Other change | 第54-59页 |
| ·Changing topic by interruption | 第54-56页 |
| ·Changing topic by giving an irrelevant answer | 第56-57页 |
| ·Changing topic by deliberately misinterpreting | 第57-58页 |
| ·Changing topic by talking about some circuitous topics | 第58-59页 |
| ·Relative reasons affecting topic change | 第59-60页 |
| ·Summary | 第60-61页 |
| Chapter Six Pragmatic Functions of Topic Change | 第61-68页 |
| ·Introduction | 第61页 |
| ·Avoiding conflict | 第61-62页 |
| ·Protecting face from being threatened | 第62-63页 |
| ·Changing pragmatic distance | 第63-64页 |
| ·Withholding the information | 第64-65页 |
| ·Producing special communicative effects | 第65-67页 |
| ·Avoiding being interfered | 第65-66页 |
| ·Creating pragmatic negation | 第66-67页 |
| ·Summary | 第67-68页 |
| Chapter Seven Conclusion | 第68-72页 |
| ·Summary of the thesis | 第68页 |
| ·Major findings of the thesis | 第68-70页 |
| ·The limitations of the thesis | 第70-71页 |
| ·The implications for further research | 第71-72页 |
| Bibliography | 第72-76页 |
| Appendix | 第76-77页 |
| 承诺书 | 第77页 |
