Thesis submitted in: Dec. 1998. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-[105]). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter Chapter One: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- Signifying: An African American Speech Act --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- Brief Background of Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson --- p.4 / Chapter 3. --- Blues Craze --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter Two: --- Blues Genre --- p.8 / Chapter 1. --- Defining' the Blues --- p.8 / Chapter 2. --- Interpretations of the Blues Genre --- p.12 / Chapter 3. --- Three Downhome Blues Singer's Interpretations of the Blues --- p.15 / Chapter 4. --- """You wanta signifyin' like" --- p.18 / Chapter Chapter Three: --- Signifying and the Blues --- p.20 / Chapter 1. --- Signifying --- p.21 / Chapter 2. --- Implicature --- p.24 / Chapter 3. --- Face Threatening Acts --- p.34 / Chapter 4. --- Off Record FTAs --- p.35 / Chapter 5. --- Off Record FTAs and Signifying --- p.36 / Chapter 6. --- Off record FTA and Signifying in Blues --- p.39 / Chapter 7. --- Signifying and Call-and-Response --- p.42 / Chapter 8. --- Signifying and the Guitar --- p.47 / Chapter 9. --- Signifying and T in Blues Recordings --- p.51 / Chapter 10. --- Signifying and Spirituals --- p.54 / Chapter Chapter Four: --- Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson --- p.60 / Chapter 1. --- Robert Jonhson (1911-1938) --- p.60 / Chapter 2. --- Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1929) --- p.81 / Chapter Chapter Five: --- Conclusion --- p.98 / Bibliography --- p.103