| Acknowledgements | 第4-8页 |
| Abbreviations | 第8-9页 |
| Abstract | 第9-10页 |
| 摘要 | 第11-13页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第13-22页 |
| 1.1 Research Background | 第13-17页 |
| 1.2 Research Objectives | 第17-18页 |
| 1.3 Research Questions | 第18-19页 |
| 1.4 Method and Material Collection | 第19-20页 |
| 1.5 Layout of the Thesis | 第20-22页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第22-36页 |
| 2.1 Definition of Swearword | 第22-24页 |
| 2.2 Classification of Swearword | 第24-27页 |
| 2.3 Functional Approach to Swearword | 第27-29页 |
| 2.4 Sociolinguistic Approach to Swearword | 第29-31页 |
| 2.5 Lexicological Approach to Swearword | 第31-32页 |
| 2.6 Historical Approach to Swearword | 第32-34页 |
| 2.7 Summary | 第34-36页 |
| Chapter Three Theoretical Preliminary | 第36-51页 |
| 3.1 Structure Dependency vs. Structure Independency | 第36-42页 |
| 3.1.1 Structure Dependency | 第37-40页 |
| 3.1.2 Structure Independency | 第40-42页 |
| 3.2 Language Communicative Functions from the Perspective of Biolinguistics | 第42-48页 |
| 3.2.1 Expressive Function of Language | 第44页 |
| 3.2.2 Signalling Function of Language | 第44-45页 |
| 3.2.3 Descriptive Function of Language | 第45-46页 |
| 3.2.4 Argumentative Function of Language | 第46-47页 |
| 3.2.5 Four Levels of Language Communicative Functions | 第47-48页 |
| 3.3 Handicap Principle | 第48-51页 |
| Chapter Four Swearwords as a Result of Interjectionization | 第51-71页 |
| 4.1 Introduction | 第51-52页 |
| 4.2 Distribution of Swearwords | 第52-54页 |
| 4.3 Syntactic Features of Swearwords as Interjections | 第54-64页 |
| 4.4 Pragmatic Functions of Swearwords as Interjections from the Perspective of Biolinguistics | 第64-70页 |
| 4.5 Summary | 第70-71页 |
| Chapter Five Swearwords as Discourse Markers | 第71-82页 |
| 5.1 Introduction | 第71-73页 |
| 5.2 Functions of Swearwords as Discourse Markers | 第73-76页 |
| 5.3 Swearwords as Costly Signals | 第76-80页 |
| 5.4 Swearwords and Reliability of Information Transmission | 第80-81页 |
| 5.5 Summary | 第81-82页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusion | 第82-87页 |
| 6.1 Major Findings of the Research | 第82-84页 |
| 6.2 Implication of the Research | 第84-85页 |
| 6.3 Limitations and Prospect of Future Research | 第85-87页 |
| References | 第87-93页 |
