本书首先，通过将法律语篇引进到批评式语篇分析的研究中，为后者开辟了一个新领域；其次，加强了功能语法与语篇分析之间的联系，进一步证实了功能语法的实践性；第三，证实了一种论点——语言表现权力，权力选择语言，只有当有权者拥有控制语言的权力时，语言才能显示其权力，它们的关系是互动的；最后，本书作者鼓励更多的语言学者投入到社会实践中来，同时也期待社会对语言学投以更多的关注。

Chapter One Introduction

 1.1 Rationale of the Studv

1.1.1 An Urgent Need for Discourse Anlysis

1.1.2 The Importance of Legal Discourse

1.1.3 A Need for Research of Legislative Discourse

 1.2 Aims of the Present Study

 1.3 Research Methodology and Data Collection

 1.4 Organization of the Dissertation

Chapter Two Literature Review

 2.1 Introduction

 2.2 Discourse Analysis(DA)

2.2.1 The Philosophical Origins of Discourse Analysis

2.2.2 Contributions of Linguists to DA

2.2.3 Three Strategies of Discourse Analysis(DA)

 2.3 Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)

2.3.1 Introduction to CDA

2.3.2 Three Major Issues of CDA

2.3.3 Approaches to CDA

2.3.4 Limitations in CDA

 2.4 A Systemic Functional Approach to DA

 2.5 Legal Discourse Analysis

2.5.1 Studies in Legal Language-as-object

2.5.2 Studies in Language-as-process

2.5.3 Studies in legal language-as-instrument

2.5.4 Current Domestic Research on Legal Discourse

2.5.5 Analysis of Legislative Discourse of the Present Dissertation

 2.6 Summary

Chapter Three Theoraical Framewedk of the Preset Research

 3.1 Introduction

 3.2 Evaluation of Thompson’S Methodological Framework

3.2.1 Strengths of Thompson’S Framework

3.2.2 Limitations of Thompson’S Framework

 3.3 Evaluation of the Hallidayan Model

3.3.1 Strengths of the Hallidayan Model

3.3.2 LimitatioUS of SFG

 3.4 A Critical-Functional Framework

 3.5 Data Collection

 3.6 Summary

Chapter Four The Power of Legislative Discourse in Contexts of Cdture＆Situation

 4.1 Introduction

 4.2 Power in Context of Culture of Legislative Discourse

4.2.1 Concept of Context of Culture

4.2.2 Genre

4.2.3 Spacio-temporal Settings of Legislative Discourse

4.2.4 Schematic Structure and Analysis of Its Ideology in Legislative Discourse

4.2.5 The Power in Realizational Patterns

 4.3 Analysis of Situational Context

4.3.1 Power in Fields of Interaction＆Social Institutions

4.3.2 Power in Social Structure

4.3.3 Power in Technical Transmission Media

 4.4 Summary

Chapter Five Power in the Ideational Function

 5.1 Introduction

 5.2 The Power of Logical Function in Legislative Discourse

5.2.1 The Concept of Logical Function

5.2.2 The History of the Development of Logical Progression of Statutes

5.2.3 Analysis of Logical Structure of the Statutes

5.2.4 Power in Logical Function of Legislative Discourse.

 5.3 The Power of Experiential Function

5.3.1 Processes in the Legislative Discourse

5.3.2 Circumstances in Experiential Function

5.3.3 Experiential Metaphor(Grammatical Metaphor)

 5.4 Summary

Chapter Six Power in the Interpersonal Function

 6.1 Introduction

 6.2 The Definition of Interpersonal Function

 6.3 Modality in Legislative Discourse

 6.4 Participants in the Legislative Discourses

 6.5 Summary

Chapter Seven Textual Function of Legislative Discourse

 7.1 Introduction

 7.2 Textual Function

 7.3 Thematic Structure in Legislative Discourse

7.3.1 Theme Types

7.3.2 The Pattern of Thematic Progression of Legislative Discourse

 7.4 Power in Information Structure

 7.5 Cohesion System

 7.6 Summary

Chapter Eight Vagueness in Lexicon

 8.1 Introduction

 8.2 Vagueness in Legislative Discourse

8.2.1 The Tension Between Vagueness and Precision

8.2.2 Ineliminability of Vagueness

8.2.3 Vagueness as a Defect in Legislative Discourse

 8.3 Other Characteristics of Lexicon in Legislative Discourse

 8.4 Summary

Chapter Nine Interpretation of Legislative Discourse

 9.1 Introduction

 9.2 The Concept of“Interpretation”

9.2.1 The Interpretation Theory of Ideology

9.2.2 Some Critical Legal Theories on Interpretation of Power

 9.3 The Nature of Legislative Discourse

 9.4 Functions of Law

9.4.1 Regulating Society

9.4.2 Balancing Interests

9.4.3 Educational Function

9.4.4 Adjusting Economy

9.4.5 Maintaining Historical Continuity and Consistency of Doctrine

 9.5 Analyzing the Ideology in Legislative Discourse

9.5.1 The Sovereign Power of the State

9.5.2 The Inequality Between Legal Professionals and Laylmen

9.5.3 The Real Inequality Behind the Superficial Equality in Legislature

9.5.4 The Arbitrary Use of power-a tendency

 9.6 The Interactive Relationship Between Language and Power

9.6.1 Language Has Power

9.6.2 Power Selects Language

 9.7 Summary

Chapter Ten Conclusion

 10.1 Major Conclusions of the Present Study

 10.2 Contributions of the Current Research

 10.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research

Appendix I-X

Bibliography