| Acknowledgements | 第4-5页 |
| Abstract | 第5-6页 |
| 摘要 | 第7-10页 |
| List of Abbreviations | 第10-12页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第12-16页 |
| 1.1 Significance of the Present Study | 第12-13页 |
| 1.2 Research Questions | 第13页 |
| 1.3 Research Objectives | 第13-14页 |
| 1.4 Research Methodology | 第14页 |
| 1.5 General Framework of This Thesis | 第14-16页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第16-24页 |
| 2.1 Terminologies of the Present Study | 第16-18页 |
| 2.1.1 Definition of usage | 第16-17页 |
| 2.1.2 Definition of usage note | 第17页 |
| 2.1.3 Definition of usage panel | 第17-18页 |
| 2.2 Prescriptivism and Descriptivism in Grammar Study and Language Teaching | 第18-20页 |
| 2.2.1 Descriptivism and prescriptivism in grammar study | 第18-19页 |
| 2.2.2 Descriptivism and prescriptivism in language teaching | 第19页 |
| 2.2.3 The combination of descriptivism and prescriptivism in linguistics | 第19-20页 |
| 2.3 Previous Studies | 第20-23页 |
| 2.3.1 Previous studies on usage note | 第20-22页 |
| 2.3.2 Previous studies on prescriptivism and descriptivism | 第22-23页 |
| 2.4 Summary | 第23-24页 |
| Chapter Three Prescriptivism and Descriptivism in Lexicography | 第24-34页 |
| 3.1 The Eighteenth Century: The Rise of Prescriptivism | 第24-27页 |
| 3.1.1 Background information | 第24-25页 |
| 3.1.2 A Dictionary of the English Language: A masterpiece of English prescriptive dictionary | 第25-26页 |
| 3.1.3 An American Dictionary of the English Language:An American representative of English prescriptive dictionary | 第26-27页 |
| 3.2 Oxford English Dictionary:A Transitional From Prescriptivism to Descriptivism | 第27-29页 |
| 3.3 Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language:A Representative of English Descriptive Dictionary | 第29-31页 |
| 3.3.1 Compiling background | 第29页 |
| 3.3.2 Characteristics of W3 | 第29-31页 |
| 3.3.3 Significance of W3 | 第31页 |
| 3.4 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language | 第31-32页 |
| 3.5 Summary | 第32-34页 |
| Chapter Four Categorization of Usage Note in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第34-62页 |
| 4.1 Research Object | 第34-37页 |
| 4.2 Usage Note in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第37-53页 |
| 4.2.1 Comparison and contrast of usage note between AHD1 and AHD5 | 第37-51页 |
| 4.2.2 Usage note under the certain Alphabet in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第51-53页 |
| 4.3 Classification of Usage Note in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第53-60页 |
| 4.3.1 The types of notes in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第54-57页 |
| 4.3.2 Categorization of single part of speech of noun usage note in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第57-60页 |
| 4.4 Summary | 第60-62页 |
| Chapter Five Descriptivism and Prescriptivism of Usage Note in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第62-74页 |
| 5.1 The Approach of Dictionary Compilation | 第62-63页 |
| 5.2 The Compilation Approach of AHD | 第63-72页 |
| 5.2.1 The single part of speech of noun usage note in AHD1 and AHD5 | 第64-65页 |
| 5.2.2 The function of usage anel | 第65-67页 |
| 5.2.3 The comparison between AHD1 and AHD5 | 第67-72页 |
| 5.3 The Influence of Language in Use | 第72-73页 |
| 5.4 Summary | 第73-74页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusion | 第74-78页 |
| 6.1 Summary of the Present Study | 第74页 |
| 6.2 Major Findings of the Present Study | 第74-76页 |
| 6.3 Implications of the Research | 第76页 |
| 6.4 Innovations and Limitations of the Present Study | 第76-77页 |
| 6.5 Suggestions for the Further Study | 第77-78页 |
| References | 第78-82页 |
| 攻读硕士学位期间科研成果 | 第82页 |
