专利权利要求书的语篇连贯分析—韩礼德模式

论文摘要

专利权利要求书作为专利申请书最重要的一部份,在获得专利局的批准和得到最大范围的专利保护方面起着重要作用。因此,对专利权利要求书的分析显得尤为重要。本文试图从系统功能语言学的角度出发,基于韩礼德的衔接理论和他的语篇功能理论,并结合哈桑德语篇体裁结构潜势的理论,对专利权利要求书的语篇连贯进行分析。在韩礼德的语篇功能理论的框架下,本文采取由外向内和由内向外的切入方法对权利要求书在宏观和微观两个层次的语篇连贯进行分析。由外向内主要是从语域和语类的角度分析,由内向外主要从小句的衔接结构、信息结构和主位结构入手。宏观层次的语篇连贯通过语类结构潜势得以实现。微观层次的语篇连贯体现在词汇语法和小句层面衔接语义关系的构建,主要有衔接结构、信息结构和主位结构的共同作用使权利要求书的语篇连贯得到实现。对所选20篇权利要求书的分析结果表明,韩礼德这一理论框架在权利要求书的语篇分析上具有可行性和一定的解释力。另外,通过对专利权利要求书的语篇连贯分析,本文也对专利申请者撰写出连贯的专利权利要求书方面具有借鉴作用。

论文目录

• Acknowledgements
• Abstract
• 摘要
• 1. Introduction
• 1.1 The research background
• 1.1.1 The patent application status quo
• 1.1.2 The research on Patent Claims
• 1.2 Objectives of this thesis
• 1.3 Data collection and methodology
• 1.4 The structure of this thesis
• 2. Main Theories on Coherence
• 2.1 The concept of coherence
• 2.2 A brief introduction to theoretical systems of coherence
• 3. Theoretical Framework
• 3.1 Why a Hallidayan approach
• 3.2 The Hallidayan model of coherence
• 3.3 Coherence at the macro level
• 3.3.1 The Generic structure for coherence study
• 3.3.2 Hasan’s Generic Structure Potential for global coherence
• 3.4 Coherence at micro level
• 3.4.1 Cohesion for local coherence
• 3.4.1.1 Cohesion and coherence
• 3.4.1.2 Cohesive devices
• 3.4.2 Thematic structure
• 3.4.2.1 Theme and Rheme
• 3.4.2.2 The functions of Theme
• 3.4.2.3 Thematic progression
• 3.4.2.4 Summary
• 3.4.3 Information Structure
• 3.4.3.1 The nature of Information structure
• 3.4.3.2 Waves of information
• 3.5 Summary
• 4. Textual Coherence of Patent Claims: an Outside-in Analysis
• 4.1 The notion of patent application and patent claim
• 4.1.1 The patent application
• 4.1.2 The Patent Claims
• 4.2 The prosody and genre of Patent Claims
• 4.3 The generic structure of Patent Claims
• 4.4 A generic structural description of Patent Claims
• 4.5 The role of format in creating coherence of Patent Claims
• 5. Textual Coherent of Patent Claims: an Inside-out Analysis
• 5.1 Cohesive devices of Patent Claims
• 5.2 Thematic structure of Patent Claims
• 5.3 The Information structure of Patent Claims
• 6. Conclusion
• 6.1 A summary of the thesis
• 6.2 Suggestions for Patent Claims writing
• 6.3 Limitations of the thesis
• Bibliography
• Appendix