| Abstract | 第1-7页 |
| 内容摘要 | 第7-11页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第11-16页 |
| ·Background to the Study | 第11-13页 |
| ·Objective and Significance of the Study | 第13-14页 |
| ·Research Method of the Study | 第14-15页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第15-16页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第16-24页 |
| ·Previous Studies on Pragmatic Vagueness | 第16-22页 |
| ·Definition of Pragmatic Vagueness | 第17-19页 |
| ·Pragmatic Vagueness versus Loose Talk | 第19-20页 |
| ·Pragmatic Ambiguity versus Pragmatic Ambivalence | 第20-22页 |
| ·Previous Studies on Vagueness in Political Diplomatic Discourse | 第22-24页 |
| Chapter Three Adaptability of Pragmatic Vagueness in Political Diplomatic Discourse | 第24-38页 |
| ·Adaptability and Adaptation | 第24-25页 |
| ·Contextual Correlates for Adaptation | 第25-27页 |
| ·Linguistic Adaptation Through Pragmatic Vagueness in Political Diplomatic Discourse | 第27-38页 |
| ·Linguistic Adaptation to the Mental World | 第27-32页 |
| ·Self-directed Adaptation | 第27-30页 |
| ·Other-directed Adaptation | 第30-32页 |
| ·Linguistic Adaptation to the Social World | 第32-35页 |
| ·Being Euphemistic with Vague Expressions | 第33页 |
| ·Guarded Understatement | 第33-35页 |
| ·Linguistic Adaptation to the Physical World | 第35-38页 |
| Chapter Four Pragmatic Vagueness as Indicators of Metapragmatic Awareness in Political Diplomatic Language | 第38-48页 |
| ·Indicators of Metapragmatic Awareness | 第38-39页 |
| ·Metapragmatic Awareness Indicated by Vagueness at the Lexical Level | 第39-43页 |
| ·Using Indefinite Deictic Expressions | 第39-40页 |
| ·Hedging | 第40-42页 |
| ·Subject with Indirect Reference | 第42-43页 |
| ·Metapragmatic Awareness Indicated by Vagueness at the Syntactic Level | 第43-46页 |
| ·Use of negative sentences | 第43-44页 |
| ·Use of Passive Voice or Omission of the Definite Article | 第44-45页 |
| ·Utilizing Figures of Speech | 第45-46页 |
| ·Metapragmatic Awareness Indicated by Vagueness at Cross-textual Level | 第46-48页 |
| Chapter Five Functions of Pragmatic Vagueness in Political Diplomatic Discourse | 第48-56页 |
| ·Enhancing the Flexibility of Utterance | 第49-52页 |
| ·Withholding Information | 第49-50页 |
| ·Reducing the Commitment to Certain Fact | 第50-52页 |
| ·Achieving Politeness | 第52-53页 |
| ·Creating Special Communicative Effect | 第53-56页 |
| ·Improving the Forcefulness of the Utterance | 第54页 |
| ·Generating Amusing Effect | 第54-56页 |
| Chapter Six Conclusion | 第56-62页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第56-60页 |
| ·Limitations | 第60页 |
| ·Suggestions for Further Investigation | 第60-62页 |
| Bibliography | 第62-65页 |
