| Acknowledgements | 第4-8页 |
| Abstract | 第8-9页 |
| 内容摘要 | 第11-13页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第13-20页 |
| 1.1 Background | 第13-16页 |
| 1.2 Purpose and Significance | 第16页 |
| 1.3 Methodology and Data Collection | 第16-18页 |
| 1.4 Organization | 第18-20页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第20-35页 |
| 2.1 Synchronic Description of the There Construction | 第20-32页 |
| 2.1.1 The Subject of the There Construction | 第20-23页 |
| 2.1.2 Non-concord in the There Construction | 第23-25页 |
| 2.1.3 The Definiteness Effect of NP after VP | 第25-27页 |
| 2.1.4 Classification of the There Construction | 第27-30页 |
| 2.1.5 Formation of the There Construction | 第30-32页 |
| 2.2 Diachronic Approach to the There Construction | 第32-33页 |
| 2.3 Summary | 第33-35页 |
| Chapter Three Theoretical Foundation | 第35-42页 |
| 3.1 Diachronic Construction Grammar | 第35-38页 |
| 3.1.1 Basic Concept of Diachronic Construction Grammar | 第35页 |
| 3.1.2 Factors Relevant to Diachronic Construction Grammar | 第35-38页 |
| 3.2 Constructional Change and Constructionalization | 第38-40页 |
| 3.2.1 Definition of Constructional Change and Constructionalization | 第38-39页 |
| 3.2.2 The Relation of Constructional Change to Constructionalization | 第39页 |
| 3.2.3 Mechanisms of Change | 第39页 |
| 3.2.4 Grammatical Constructionalization | 第39-40页 |
| 3.3 Summary | 第40-42页 |
| Chapter Four The There Construction in Contemporary English | 第42-60页 |
| 4.1 Two Independent Constructions of the There Construction | 第42-44页 |
| 4.2 Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the There Construction | 第44-57页 |
| 4.2.1 Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the Existential ThereConstruction | 第44-52页 |
| 4.2.2 Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the Deictic ThereConstruction | 第52-57页 |
| 4.3 Summary | 第57-60页 |
| Chapter Five Change from the Existentials to the Deictics | 第60-73页 |
| 5.1 The Existential There Construction as the Source | 第60-64页 |
| 5.1.1 Synchronic Evidence for the Existential There Construction as the Source | 第60-62页 |
| 5.1.2 Diachronic Evidence for the Existential There Construction as the Source | 第62-64页 |
| 5.2 Process of Change from the Existential There Construction to the DeicticThere Construction | 第64-72页 |
| 5.2.1 Constructional Change and Constructionalization of the Existential ThereConstruction | 第64-66页 |
| 5.2.2 Constructional Change and Constructionalization of the Dectic ThereConstruction | 第66-70页 |
| 5.2.3 Schematicity, Productivity and Compositionality | 第70-72页 |
| 5.3 Summary | 第72-73页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusion | 第73-78页 |
| 6.1 Major Findings and Implications | 第73-76页 |
| 6.2 Limitations and Suggestions | 第76-78页 |
| Reference | 第78-83页 |
