| Acknowledgements | 第1-7页 |
| Abstract | 第7-9页 |
| 摘要 | 第9-14页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第14-18页 |
| ·Background of the Study | 第14-15页 |
| ·Purpose of the Study | 第15页 |
| ·Significance of the Study | 第15-17页 |
| ·Layout of the Thesis | 第17-18页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第18-45页 |
| ·Studies of Presupposition | 第18-25页 |
| ·Philosophical Origin | 第18-21页 |
| ·The Definition of Presupposition | 第21-22页 |
| ·The Classification of Presupposition | 第22-25页 |
| ·Two Approaches to Presupposition | 第25-41页 |
| ·Semantic Approach | 第26-35页 |
| ·Semantic Presupposition | 第27-28页 |
| ·Presupposition Triggers | 第28-30页 |
| ·The Features of Semantic Presupposition | 第30-32页 |
| ·Problems of Semantic Presupposition | 第32-35页 |
| ·Pragmatic Approach | 第35-40页 |
| ·Pragmatic Presupposition | 第35-37页 |
| ·Properties of Pragmatic Presupposition | 第37-40页 |
| ·The relation between Semantic Presupposition and Pragmatic Presupposition | 第40-41页 |
| ·American Televised Presidential Debates | 第41-45页 |
| ·Forms of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第42-43页 |
| ·Characteristics of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第43-44页 |
| ·Objectives of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第44-45页 |
| Chapter 3 Research Design | 第45-49页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第45-46页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第46-47页 |
| ·Data Processing | 第47-49页 |
| Chapter 4 Pragmatic Functions of Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第49-87页 |
| ·Presupposition Triggers in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第49-59页 |
| ·Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第59-63页 |
| ·Existential Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第59-60页 |
| ·Factive Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第60-61页 |
| ·Behavior Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第61页 |
| ·State Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第61-62页 |
| ·Belief Presupposition in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第62-63页 |
| ·The Pragmatic Functions of Presupposition and the Language of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第63-76页 |
| ·Function of Concealment | 第63-65页 |
| ·Function of Self-protection | 第65-66页 |
| ·Function of Diversity | 第66-68页 |
| ·Succinct Function | 第68-69页 |
| ·Leading Function | 第69-70页 |
| ·Persuasive Function | 第70-72页 |
| ·Humorous Function | 第72-76页 |
| ·Presupposition in Transmitting Information in American Televised Presidential Debates | 第76-82页 |
| ·Information Quantity | 第76-77页 |
| ·Information Focus | 第77-82页 |
| ·Lexical Triggers | 第78-80页 |
| ·Syntactic Triggers | 第80-82页 |
| ·Presupposition and the Discourse of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第82-87页 |
| ·Macrostructure of the Discourse of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第82-83页 |
| ·Coherence of the Discourse of American Televised Presidential Debates | 第83-87页 |
| Chapter 5 Conclusion | 第87-90页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第87-88页 |
| ·Limitations of the Present Study | 第88页 |
| ·Suggestions for Further Researches | 第88-90页 |
| References | 第90-94页 |
