ABSTRACT

 In recent years, as an essential part of daily communication, interrogatives are often becoming the focus of researchers from different linguistic fields due to their multifunctional nature and complicated functions’ identification. Recent linguists focus on the interrogatives’ forms and their functions of pragmatic study in institutional dialogues and speeches. However, there are few studies of the pragmatic functions of interrogatives in press conferences. Thus, this essay is aimed at analyzing the pragmatic functions comprehensively and finding out some adaptive functions which are decided by the press conferences’ atmosphere and context. The object of my study is the Apple Inc. press conferences.

The Pragmatic Functions and Verschueren (2000)’ adaptability theory are to be employed as the theoretical methods to explain the pragmatic functions of interrogatives and the adaptive application in Apple press conferences from certain aspects. The application of interrogatives is a process of choice making and the related linguistic choices can be used as identification makers of interrogatives’ functions. Through the changing atmosphere and the context, the pragmatic functions of interrogatives have the following adaptive functions: the objective function, the strategic function and the action-oriented function, apart from the other functions which have been studied by other scholars. I believe that my thesis, on the one hand, can help you understand the interrogatives’ functions in press conferences. On the other hand, it means that the functions of interrogatives are a dynamic change according to the context and conditions. Finally, the awareness of the questions’ application will be improved.

Key words: Interrogatives,  Apple Press Conferences,  Adaptive Functions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

中文摘要

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.-1

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY-1

1.2 RESEARCH PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE-1

1.3 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY-2

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW-3

2.1 DEFINITION OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES-3

2.2 CLASSIFICATIONS AND FEATURES OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES-4

2.3 THE PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF INTERROGATIVES-5

2.3.1 Asking Information-5

2.3.2 Expressing Emotion Rhetorically-5

2.3.3 Suggesting and Examining Information-6

2.3.4 Requiring Information Indirectly-6

2.3.5 Seeking Agreement And Strengthening Humor6

2.3.6 Conducting Questions6

2.4 BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF PRESS CONFERNECES7

2.4.1 The Definition of Press Conference.7

2.4.2 The Language Features of Enterprise News Conferences.7

2.5 BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF APPLE INC. IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS-8

CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF INTERROGATIVES’ APPLICATION IN APPLE’S PRESS CONFERENCES-9

3.1 THE APPLICATION OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES IN APPLE’S PRESS CONFERENCE-9

3.2 PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS IN APPLE’S PRESS CONFERENCE-12

3.3 OTHER ADAPTIVE FUNCTIONS OF THEIR APPLICATIONS-15

3.3.1 Objective Functions-16

3.3.2 Strategic Functions-17

3.3.3 Action-oriented Functions-17

3.4 SUMMARY-17

CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION-18

BIBLIOGRAPHY-20