元话语通常被称为“关于言语的言语”。自从Harris于1959年首次提出这一术语以来,元话语就成了语篇分析领域和语言教学领域的研究热点。国外学界就元话语所做的理论研究较为丰富,为其实证研究做了理论铺垫;国内学界的元话语实证研究则相对较少,其研究领域也较为局限。本文回顾了有关元话语的定义、分类,以及近年来国内外针对元话语所做的实证研究,为国内学界的元话语研究提出些许建议。 Metadal discourse is commonly referred to as “verbal utterances.” Since Harris first proposed this term in 1959, meta-discourse has become a research hotspot in the field of discourse analysis and language teaching. Foreign scholars have done a lot of theoretical research on meta-discourse, which has paved the way for its empirical research. The empirical study of meta-discourse in domestic academic circles is relatively small, and its research fields are relatively limited. This paper reviews the definition, classification and meta-discourse studies of meta-discourse at home and abroad in recent years and gives some suggestions for the study of meta-discourse in domestic academia.