| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| Abstract in English | 第5-8页 |
| Abstract in Chinese | 第8-10页 |
| Contents | 第10-12页 |
| Tables & Figures | 第12-13页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第13-19页 |
| ·Origin of the Study | 第13-16页 |
| ·A Brief Introduction to Iconicity | 第13-15页 |
| ·A Brief Introduction to Rhetoric | 第15-16页 |
| ·Originality and Objectives of the Study | 第16-17页 |
| ·Significance of the Study | 第17页 |
| ·Feasibility of the Study | 第17-18页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第18-19页 |
| Chapter Two An Overview of Iconicity | 第19-30页 |
| ·Definition of Iconicity | 第19-20页 |
| ·Development of Iconicity Theory | 第20-27页 |
| ·Saussure's View of Arbitrariness | 第20-22页 |
| ·Peirce's Iconicity Theory | 第22-25页 |
| ·Haiman's Iconicity Theory | 第25-27页 |
| ·Other Relevant Studies | 第27-30页 |
| Chapter Three Rhetorical Effects of Iconicity | 第30-56页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Imagic Iconicity | 第30-41页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Oral Iconicity | 第30-37页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Single Sounds | 第31-34页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Sound Groups | 第34-35页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Onomatopoeic Words | 第35-37页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Visual Iconicity | 第37-41页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Diagrammatic Iconicity | 第41-56页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Sequential Iconicity | 第41-45页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Semantic Principle of Word Order | 第42-44页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Pragmatic Principle of Word Order | 第44-45页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Markedness Iconicity | 第45-50页 |
| ·Violation of Normal Collocation | 第46页 |
| ·Parody | 第46-47页 |
| ·Oxymoron | 第47-48页 |
| ·Exaggeration | 第48-50页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Quantitative Iconicity | 第50-56页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Using More Linguistic Signs | 第51-54页 |
| ·Rhetorical Effects of Using Less Linguistic Signs | 第54-56页 |
| Chapter Four Conclusion | 第56-58页 |
| ·Major Findings of the Study | 第56页 |
| ·Implications of the Study | 第56-57页 |
| ·Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Further Research | 第57-58页 |
| Bibliography | 第58-61页 |
| Publications | 第61页 |
