| Chapter One Iutroduction | 第1-10页 |
| 1．1 The pervasiveness of hyperbole and understatement | 第7页 |
| 1．2 The difference between traditional rhetoric approaches and the pragmatic-cognitive study | 第7-9页 |
| 1．3 The organization of the thesis | 第9-10页 |
| Chapter Two The workings of hyperbole and understatement | 第10-29页 |
| 2．1 The rhetorical tradition | 第10-12页 |
| 2．2 The pragmatic approach | 第12-19页 |
| 2．2．1 Gricean conversational implicature and CP | 第12-14页 |
| 2．2．2 Leech's inierpersona1 rhetoric | 第14-19页 |
| 2．3 The relevance theory | 第19-22页 |
| 2．4 The cognitive approach | 第22-29页 |
| 2．4．1 The figurative schemes of thought | 第25-26页 |
| 2．4．2 The theory of iconicity | 第26-29页 |
| Chapter Three Hyperbole and understatement in English and Chinese | 第29-45页 |
| 3．1 The pragmatic force of hyperbole | 第29-38页 |
| 3．1．1 Intensification | 第29-32页 |
| 3．1．2 Enhancing interest in communication | 第32-35页 |
| 3．1．3 Showing politeness | 第35-37页 |
| 3．1．4 Summary | 第37-38页 |
| 3．2 The pragmatic force of understatement | 第38-45页 |
| 3．2．1 Highlighting | 第38-40页 |
| 3．2．2 Euphemistic effects | 第40-42页 |
| 3．2．3 Showing politeness | 第42-43页 |
| 3．2．4 Summary | 第43-45页 |
| Chapter Four Conclusion | 第45-51页 |
| 4．1 Major conclusions reached in the thesis | 第45-46页 |
| 4．2 Suggestions for future research | 第46-51页 |
