| Declaration | 第1-7页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第7-8页 |
| Abstract (English) | 第8-9页 |
| Abstract (Chinese) | 第9-10页 |
| Contents | 第10-14页 |
| Chapter One General Introduction | 第14-19页 |
| ·Introductory Remarks | 第14页 |
| ·Rationale | 第14-16页 |
| ·Significance | 第16页 |
| ·Theoretical Framework | 第16-17页 |
| ·Methodology & Data to Be Investigated | 第17-18页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第18页 |
| ·Research Hypothesis | 第18-19页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第19-36页 |
| ·Terminology | 第19-23页 |
| ·Vagueness & Pragmatic Vagueness | 第19-21页 |
| ·Fuzziness vs. Vagueness | 第21-22页 |
| ·Pragmatic Marker | 第22页 |
| ·Pragmatic Implication | 第22-23页 |
| ·Historical Overview on Vagueness | 第23-27页 |
| ·Classical Definition of Vagueness: a Philosophical Perspective | 第23-25页 |
| ·Semantic Study of Vagueness: a Fuzzy-Logic Perspective | 第25-27页 |
| ·Concluding Remarks | 第27页 |
| ·Defining Vagueness in a Pragmatic Perspective | 第27-31页 |
| ·Major Research Abroad | 第27-30页 |
| ·Major Research in China | 第30-31页 |
| ·Classification of Pragmatic Markers of Vagueness | 第31-32页 |
| ·Research of Pragmatic Vagueness in Various Fields | 第32-33页 |
| ·More Research of Vagueness in a Pragmatic Perspective | 第33-35页 |
| ·Hedging in Discourse | 第33-34页 |
| ·Modality and Pragmatic Vagueness | 第34-35页 |
| ·Problems Unsolved in Existing Studies | 第35页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第35-36页 |
| Chapter Three Theoretical Framework | 第36-44页 |
| ·Introduction | 第36页 |
| ·Conceptual Background of Linguistic Adaptation Theory | 第36-37页 |
| ·Summary of Verschueren's Linguistic Adaptation Theory | 第37-40页 |
| ·Major Notes of This Theory | 第37页 |
| ·Language Choice-making: an Adaptive Mechanism | 第37-38页 |
| ·Three Key Notions for Explanation of Choice-making Process | 第38-40页 |
| ·Concluding Remarks | 第40页 |
| ·Grice's Theory of CP Maxims and Conversational Implicature | 第40-42页 |
| ·Discourse Analysis | 第42页 |
| ·Functional Grammar Theory | 第42-43页 |
| ·Concluding Remarks | 第43-44页 |
| Chapter Four Hypothesis, Methodology, Data Collection and Manipulation Procedure | 第44-54页 |
| ·Background of Research Hypothesis | 第44-47页 |
| ·Who is Alan Greenspan? | 第44-46页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第46页 |
| ·Research Objects | 第46-47页 |
| ·Research Methodology | 第47页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第47-50页 |
| ·Population and Statistic Population | 第47-48页 |
| ·Choosing Data for Statistic Analysis | 第48-50页 |
| ·Procedure of Typical Sampling | 第50-51页 |
| ·Criteria of Sampling | 第50页 |
| ·Seven Steps for Sampling | 第50-51页 |
| ·Manipulation Procedure | 第51-52页 |
| ·Instruments for Statistic Treatment | 第51页 |
| ·Allocation of Hedging and Modality | 第51-52页 |
| ·Data Treatment | 第52-54页 |
| ·Concluding Remarks | 第54页 |
| Chapter Five Analysis of Hedging and Modality in Financial Discourse | 第54-66页 |
| Part One Pragmatic Implication of Hedging in Discourse | 第54-62页 |
| ·Hedging in Discourse | 第54-57页 |
| ·Definition of Hedging | 第54-55页 |
| ·Classification of Hedging in Discourse | 第55-57页 |
| ·Realization of Hedging | 第57-58页 |
| ·Hedging in Greenspan's Financial Discourse | 第58-60页 |
| ·Pragmatic Function of Hedging in Discourse | 第60-62页 |
| ·Concluding Remarks | 第62页 |
| Part two Pragmatic Implication of Modality in Discourse | 第62-66页 |
| ·Introduction of Modality | 第62页 |
| ·Types of Modality | 第62-64页 |
| ·Modality in Greenspan's Financial Discourses | 第64-66页 |
| ·Hypothesis | 第64页 |
| ·Modality Analysis in Greenspan's Speeches | 第64-65页 |
| ·Pragmatic Function of Modality in Discourse | 第65-66页 |
| ·Concluding Remarks | 第66页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusions & Suggestions | 第66-71页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第66-67页 |
| ·Linguistic Value of This Study | 第67-68页 |
| ·Practical Value of Pragmatic Vagueness | 第68-69页 |
| ·Limitations and Suggestions for Further Exploration | 第69-70页 |
| ·Conclusion | 第70-71页 |
| Bibliography | 第71-79页 |
| Appendix Ⅰ: Testimony of Chairman Alan Greenspan on July 22, | 第79-88页 |
| Appendix Ⅱ: Testimony of Chairman Alan Greenspan on July 16, | 第88-94页 |
