Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 The Motive
1.2 Taoci in Beijing Dialect
1.3 Taoci in the International Higher Education Market
1.3.1 Taoci Email
1.3.2 The Global Higher Education Market
1.3.3 Chinese Students in the Global Higher Education Market
1.3.4 Taoci as a Means to Hunt Global Education Offer
1.4 Summary
Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework and Relevant Work
2.1 Second Language Investment Theory
2.1.1 Bourdieu's Theory of Practice: Habitus, Field and Capital
2.1.2 Second Language Learning Investment
2.2 Speech Act Theory
2.2.1 Th Internalist Perspective: Intrinsic to Language Signs
2.2.2 The Externalist Perspective: Beyond Linguistic Signs
2.2.3 Performativity in Postmodern Sociology
2.3 L2 Learners' English Email Writing and Self-promotional Discourse
2.3.1 English Email from Student to Faculty
2.3.2 Self-promotional Genre in Application
2.4 Research Questions Based on the Present Work
Chapter 3 Research Methodology
3.1 Data Collection
3.1.1 Participants
3.1.2 Data CoUected
3.2 Data Analysis
3.2.1 Discourse Analysis Method of Taoci Email
3.2.2 Analysis Method of Interview Transcripts and Supplementary Data
3.3 Privacy Protection
Chapter 4 Investment Through Speech Acts: A Panorama
4.1 An Overview of Taoci as Macro Speech Act
4.2 Speech Act as Pulling Guanxi
4.2.1 Deference-oriented Strategy: Distancing
4.2.2 Solidarity-oriented Strategy: Bonding
4.2.3 Sectional Discussion: Investment with Social Capital
4.3 Speech Act as Promoting Self/2o
4.3.1 Me-oriented Strategy: Advertising Self
4.3.2 Us-oriented Strategy: Striking up Academic Bonding
4.3.3 Sectional Discussion: Investing with Academic Capital
4.4 Speech Act as Negotiating Entry
4.4.1 InquiringAvailabflity
4.4.2 Asking for Offer
4.4.3 Informing Application Status
4.4.4 Following up Application Status
4.4.5 Asking for "Illegitimate" Favor
4.4.6 Sectional Discussion: Investment for Imagined Identity
4.5 Discussion and Summary
Chapter 5 Writing to Act: An Individual Investment Trajectory
5.1 Case Data
5.2 Speech Act Varying Across Application Stages
