本书共七章，内容涉及学科缘起、语用意义、指示、含意、合作原则、关联理论、预设、言语行为理论及会话分析。此外，每章附有练习、思考问题和阅读书目。
本书注重学术规范性与第一手文献的使用，力求对理论进行深入浅出的讲解、分析，并合理利用脚注对相关内容予以必要的补充说明，这样既避免冲淡主题，又为读者查阅所需材料提供便利。每章对重要内容进行了言简意赅的总结，读者可借助这些归纳对相关要点进行复习与回顾。各章练习设计尽量采用真实语料，其间穿插富有启发性的思考问题，以使读者运用所学知识分析语言应用实践，进而将知识学习与科研探索相结合。鉴于目前语用学较为丰富的文献资料，本书在每章的结束处提供了阅读书目，读者可以根据个人的兴趣和条件，利用这些书目进行扩展阅读，以拓宽学术视野。

Chapter Ⅰ Pragmatics and pragmatic aspects of language use
1.1 A historical overview of the term "pragmatics"
1.2 Pragmatics as a branch of linguistics
1.3 Pragmatic aspects of language use
1.3.1 Appropriacy
1.3.2 Indirect meaning
1.3.3 Indeterminacy
1.3.4 Context
1.4 The scope of pragmatics
Exercises and reviewing questions
Further reading
Chapter Ⅱ Deixis
2.1 The notion of deixis
2.2 Deictic usage vs.non-deictic usage
2.3 Types of deixis
2.3.1 Person deixis
2.3.2 Time deixis
2.3.3 Place deixis
2.3.4 Discourse deixis
2.3.5 Social deixis
Exercises and reviewing questions
Further reading
Chapter Ⅲ Implicature and cooperative principle
3.1 The notion of conversational implicature
3.2 Cooperative principle in theory of conversational implicature
3.3 Types of conversational implicature
3.3.1 Standard conversational implicature via observing maxims
3.3.2 Particularized conversational implicature via flouting maxims
3.3.3 Generalized conversational implicature
3.4 Features of conversational implicature
3.5 Importance of Grice's theory of conversational implicature
3.6 Conventional implicatures
Exercises and reviewing questions
Further reading
Chapter Ⅳ Relevance theory
4.1 General introduction
4.2 Cognitive environment and mutual manifestness
4.3 Relevance and cognitive principle of relevance
4.3.1 Relevance
4.3.2 Cognitive principle of relevance
4.4 Relevance and communication
4.4.1 Optimal relevance
4.4.2 Communicative principle of relevance
4.5 Ostensive-inferential communication
4.5.1 Ostensive communication on the part of the
communicator
4.5.
Further reading
Chapter Ⅴ Presupposition
5.1 Philosophical background
5.2 Semantic presupposition
5.2.1 Presupposition triggers
5.2.2 Defeasibility
5.2.3 The projection problem
5.3 Pragmatic presupposition
Exercises and reviewing questions
Further reading
Chapter Ⅵ Speech act theory
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Austin's speech act theory: origin and foundation
6.2.1 Constatives and performatives
6.2.2 Felicity conditions
6.2.3 Features of performatives
6.2.4 Three kinds of speech act
6.2.5 Austin's classification of illocutionary acts
6.3 Searle's speech act theory: revision and development
6.3.1 The redefinition of speech act
6.3.2 Reclassification of speech act
6.3.3 Searle's felicity conditions
6.3.4 Reclassification of illocutionary acts
6.3.5 Indirect speech acts
6.4 The late development of speech act theory
6.4.1 The study on perlocution
6.4.2 The applied study of speech acts
Exercises and reviewing questions
Further reading
Chapter Ⅶ Conversation analysis
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Turn-taking
7.2.1 Definition and features of turn-taking
7.2.2 The turn-taking system
7.3 Adjacency pairs
7.4 Conversation structure
7.4.1 Overlap, pause and backehannel item
7.4.2 Pre-sequences, insertion sequences and post-sequences
7.5 Preference organization
7.5.1 Preference in repairs
7.5.2 Preferred and dispreferred second turns
Exercises and reviewing questions
Further reading
References
Appendix: transcription conventions