修辞问句作为雄辩与修辞的重要构成部分，频繁出现在演说、报道、社论、广告、教学、日常话语等不同语域语体中；而国内学者对修辞问句的界定、特征、标示、功能及运用的理论框架等方面的研究则较少。本书以语料库为研究工具，提取西方独白式文本中的修辞问句，以语用学的主流理论关联理论为框架，对修辞问句的使用原因、句式特征、文本功能、言语接受者辨别修辞问句类型、推断言者话语意图的过程等进行了深入分析，以期填补空白，抛砖引玉，为对英语修辞、语料库的应用、语用学新发展感兴趣的学者们提供借鉴。
本书主要研究两个问题。首先，探索言语接受者是如何辨别一个问句并非是真正问句，而是不需回答的旨在传达一个命题的修辞问句，又是如何推断出言者的话语意图，隐含之意的，论证了主张人类交流是通过对言语进行赋码与解码来实现的话码模式不足以解析修辞问句的隐含之意：修辞问句的分析必须引入推理模式。而1986 年法国学者斯波伯（Sperber）和英国学者威尔逊（Wilson）提出的关联理论作为推理模式的重要代表，能够成功揭开修辞问句使用及理解的神秘面纱。其次，本书通过语料库数据，探讨了修辞问句有哪些不同的类型，又是如何分别在独白式文本语境下帮助言者实现其说服的意图的。
本书不仅包含了理论论证，也是对语料库数据的定性研究，目前语料库的应用研究主要集中在词汇学、语义学和句法领域。本书从英国国家语料库（BNC）与英国书面语语料库（FLOB）中提取语料，并自建两个文本语料库作为补充，涉及英美两个国家的政治演讲和报纸社评两个语域，尝试把语料库的研究扩展到修辞和语用的领域。
在本书的第一部分，基于关联理论中的隐含之意（implicature）、互明（mutual manifestness）和最佳关联（optimal relevance）这三个核心概念，建构了鉴别修辞问句的基本步骤。在之后的论述中，这个鉴别准则被应用于两个独白式语域中用来提取和解析其中的修辞问句，并论证了修辞问句在这两个语域中的共有及独有特征。
本书进一步印证了相对于奥斯汀（Austin）和瑟尔（Searle）的言语行为理论与格莱斯（Grice）的合作原则而言，关联理论对于修辞问句的使用与功能具有更强大的解释力。旨在为交流者更好地理解修辞问句，避免交流误解的产生，对语言使用这一大范畴做出贡献。
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Research back ground
1.2 Research objectives
1.3 Outlines of the current study
Chapter 2 Literature review
2.1 Previous definitions and features of RQs
2.2 Previous distinction between RQs and other question types
2.3 Previous identification of RQs by linguistic indicators and context
2.4 Previous studies on functions of RQs
2.5 Previous studies on the two genres involved in the current study
2.6 Summary
Chapter 3 Theoretical framework Relevance Theory
3.1 Speech Act Theory
3.2 Gricean Maxims vs. neo-Griceans and post-Griceans
3.3 The major concepts in Relevance Theory
3.4 Summary of claims in Relevance Theory
3.5 Interpretation of interrogatives in Relevance Theory
3.6 Interpretation of figurative language in Relevance Theory
3.7 Interpretation process of an utterance in Relevance Theory
Chapter 4 Methodology in the current study
4.1 Methodological procedure of the current study
4.2 Brief introduction to corpus linguistics and the corpora used in the current study
4.3 Extracting questions from the two genres
4.4 Criterion for identifying and interpreting an RQ in the current study
4.5 Summary
Chapter 5 Applying analysis categories：question types for inclusion or exclusion
5.1 Cases excluded from the current study
5.2 Distinguishing RQs from other question types in the data
5.3 Analysis of RQ categories
5.4 Summary
Chapter 6 Analysis of RQs in American and British campaign speeches
6.1 Theoretical considerations of Speech Act Theory and Gricean Principle in accounting for political RQs
6.2 Use of RQs rather than direct assertions in political speeches
6.3 Identification and interpretation of political RQs with linguistic indicators in terms of Relevance Theory
6.4 Identification and interpretation of political RQs without linguistic indicators in terms of Relevance Theory
6.5 RQs with explicit answers provided in political speeches
6.6 RQs not observing polarity shift in political speeches
6.7 RQs containing other rhetorical devices in political speeches
6.8 Summary
Chapter 7 Analysis of RQs in newspaper editorials
7.1 Theoretical considerations of Speech Act Theory and Gricean Principle in accounting for editorial RQs
7.2 Mode-related differences between RQs in political speeches and newspaper editorials
7.3 Identification and interpretation of editorial RQs with linguistic indicators in terms of Relevance Theory
7.4 Identification and interpretation of editorial RQs without linguistic indicators in terms of Relevance Theory
7.5 RQs with explicit answers provided in editorials
7.6 RQs not observing polarity shift in editorials
7.7 RQs containing other rhetorical devices in editorials
7.8 RQs serving as titles or subtitles in newspaper editorials
7.9 Summary
Chapter 8 Conclusions
8.1 Background to the current study
8.2 Summary of the discussion throughout the current study
8.3 Summary of contributions to the field of RQ study
8.4 Limitations，applications and avenues for future research
References
Appendices
Index
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