An Analysis of English Euphemism英语委婉语分析.docx

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1、An Analysis of English EuphemismAbstract Every different language has its own euphemism, so is English. Euphemism is a common phenomenon, and it is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also a kind of social phenomenon and cultural phenomenon which is closely related to cultural backgrounds, religio

2、us thoughts and lifestyles, etc. Euphemism are mild, agreeable, or roundabout words used in place of coarse, painful, or offensive ones. It is a figure of speech, also a kind of culture phenomenon. This thesis aims at analyzing English euphemism both on its classification and its functions. And this

3、 thesis also wants to make some research on the significances that English euphemism for English language learners.The paper is composed of five parts including an introduction and a conclusion.The first part provides a general view of a definition for English euphemism. This part presents several d

4、ifferent definitions of English euphemism and make differentiates among those different definitions.The second part makes a classification of English euphemism. Research shows that English euphemism can be classified into following categories: euphemism about religion, diseases and death, euphemism

5、about sex, birth and body excretion, euphemism about politics and military, euphemism about occupations and business, euphemism about education.The third part expresses the four kinds of functions of English euphemism, including the evasive function, the polite function, the cosmetic function and th

6、e humorous function of English euphemism.The fourth part reveals the significance of English euphemism for English language learners.The last part is the conclusion part, in this part, the functions and significance of different kinds of English euphemism are reaffirmed.Key word: English euphemism,

7、classification, function, significanceContentsAbstract.1. Introduction.2. Classification of English Euphemism.2.1 Euphemisms about religion, diseases and death.2.2 Euphemisms about Sex, Birth and Body Excretion2.3 Euphemisms about Politics, Military and Business2.4 Euphemisms about Occupations, Mone

8、y, Age and Appearance 2.5 Euphemisms about Education.3. Functions of English Euphemism.3.1 Evasive Function3.2 Polite Function.3.3 Cosmetic Function.3.4 Humorous Function4. Significance of English Euphemism for English Language Learners 4.1 In Terms of Cross-cultural Communication. 4.2 In Terms of S

9、elf-cultivation5. ConclusionReferencesAn Analysis of English Euphemism1. IntroductionEuphemism is a word of foreign origin and it is originally from Greek, whose meaning is “speak with good words”. The prefix “eu” means “well or sounding well”; and the suffix “pheme” means “speech”（朱艳菊，2010）. Then,

10、what is English euphemism on earth? We have some definitions of euphemism as follows:An indirect word or phrase that people often use to refer to sth embarrassing or unpleasant, sometimes to make it seem more acceptable than it really is (Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary, 2009)A p

11、olite word or expression that you use instead of a more direct one to avoid shocking or upsetting someone (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 2003)The existence of taboo words or taboo ideas stimulates the creation of euphemisms. A euphemism is a word or phrase that replaces a taboo word, o

12、r that is used in the attempt to avoid either fearful or unpleasant subjects” (Fromkin, 1983： 256 ) “Euphemism: That figure of speech which consists in the substitution of a word or expression of comparative favorable implication or less unpleasant associations instead of the harsher or more offensi

13、ve one that would more precisely designate what is instead”. (赵政清，1996) Form the definitions listed below we can find the features of euphemism. Euphemism is indirect, pleasant, polite, and mild. And from the knowledge in our minds we may find that euphemism is closely related to taboo. When giving

14、up a taboo word, people will find another word to replace it, which creates a euphemism. In English language, euphemism is widely used in the daily communications. And in English language, we have many ways to express euphemism. And those ways can be categorized into three classifications. The first

15、 is through the change of our speech sounds, for instance, we usually say “Gosh” instead of “God”. The second way is semantic method, such as synonymy, negation and vague expressions. And the last method is using kinds of figures of speech, for example, understatement, metaphor and metonymy. And thi

16、s thesis mainly focuses on the classification and functions of English euphemism as well as its significance on English learners.2. Classification of English Euphemism2.1 Euphemisms about religion, diseases and deathAs we all know that religions could be dated back to ancient times, and in English c

17、ountries, Catholicism and Christianity are the most strong among those various religions. People who believe in the God are very obedient and even afraid of their Lord so they would not call their God directly, then there comes euphemism for Christians to call and show their respect to the God. And

18、also, death is an eternal taboo and dread for all of people in this world. People become superstitious under the influence of religions, they believe if they can not go to the heaven, then they will go to the hell. Most people in this world have few opportunities to go to the heaven since they are b

19、orn to be sinners, however, the hell, a place to lock up those sinners, is more than horrible. People do not want to go to the hell, so they become afraid of going to die. Naturally, euphemism about death is produced. Even though many diseases can be cured in our current world with the development o

20、f technology and medical science, some diseases are still called incurable diseases, such as many kinds of cancers and the AIDS. Those incurable diseases make people become terror-stricken when knowing they have become sufferers because they would die soon. The horror of people for incurable disease

21、s also has produced euphemism about diseases.In English countries, most people believe in Christianity, they believe that the God not only created all things that they need but also is controlling their fates. On one hand, they respect the God, on the other hand, they fear the God. So, call the Crea

22、tor directly has become a taboo for Christians. They call him “Godness” “Gosh” or “Golly”(胡春梅，2005), and if they want to curse others, although in the name of the God, they would say “Gold darn it” in stead of “God damn it”, whats more, when they want to say “Jesus Christ”, they would change it into

23、 “Cheese and crackers”. The most interesting is the euphemism about death. People are afraid of going to die, but in order to comfort themselves, they firmly believe they will go to the heaven after death. Most of the euphemisms about death are connected with peoples good will. The most common euphe

24、misms about death include “pass away” “to return to dust” “to pay the debt of nature” “be called to God or to answer the final summons” hand in their accounts or be sent to their account” “the last judgment made by God” “pay Saint Peter a visit” “go to the Heaven” “be asleep in the Arms of God” “in

25、Jesus” “lie in Abrahams bosom” “be at peace” “go to his final reward” and “to yield up the ghost”. Most of those euphemisms are from the Bible, because Christianity has the most followers in western countries, such euphemisms with religious color are widely accepted by people in the society.In the f

26、earing of going to die because of in curable diseases, people create many euphemisms in order not to hurt the patients. Through telling patients the truth in a euphemistic way, doctors want to reduce patients psychological burden, such as “the Big C” for cancer. And some combinations of capitalized

27、letters are also euphemisms, for instance, V.D (venereal disease), AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). To some extent, those euphemisms can relieve and comfort patients. 2.2 Euphemisms about Sex, Birth and Body ExcretionPeoples taboos vary from er

28、a to era, from culture to culture. However, the sense of shame for sex, birth and body excretion has never changed, which can be dated back to Evas eating the forbidden fruit secretly. And direct words or speeches about sex, marriage, pregnancy and body excretion are too bashful to mention, especial

29、ly for those educated people. Then, euphemisms are adopted.First we will talk English euphemisms about sex and marriage. When children ask their parents where they came from, their parents often answered the baby was a “a visit from the stork”. And because of the movement of “sex liberation”, people

30、 can have a freer talk about sex than Victorian Age. Now, English people use “to make love” and “art of pleasure” to describe sex. Among those euphemisms about sex, the most famous and widely used one for sex and relationship behavior in the U.S should be “baseball” metaphors. The metaphors include

31、terms like “hitting it off” for a good start to relationship, “striking out” for being unlucky with a love interest and “running the bases” for progressing sexually in a relationship. Second, there are also some euphemisms about birth in English, that is, euphemisms to describe a pregnant woman. If

32、we want to state that a woman is pregnant, then we can have following sentences: “She has cancelled all her social engagement” “She is in an interesting condition” “She is in a delicate condition” “She is knitting bootees” “She is in the family way” and “She is expecting”. There are many euphemisms

33、for birth control devices, sometimes even propagated by the manufacturers: Condoms are known as rubbers, sheaths, love gloves, diving suits, raincoats, French letters, Jimmy Caps, Johnnies (in Ireland and to a lesser degree Britain) etc.Third, body excretion is not a pleasant thing for people, and s

34、o the activity of going to toilet can be replaced by many euphemisms about it. In English, people often use the abbreviation “BS” or the word “bull” to replace “bullshit”. And euphemisms about going to toilet are countless. Women can say “powder my nose” “fix my face” “go to visit ladies room” “go t

35、o no-mans-land” “go somewhere else” “pick some flowers” and “go and see my aunt”. Men can say “go to the gents” “go to the Green man” “spend a penny” “have a BM” and “do a job”. There are even euphemisms for children: “go to the pot” “pass water” and “make water”.2.3 Euphemisms about Politics, Milit

36、ary and BusinessPolitics, military and Business are quite formal and serious topics in our modern society. Of course there are many black corners in contemporary politics, military and economy, because to some extent politics, military and business are controlled in the hand of the upper class. It i

37、s acceptable that more and more euphemisms about politics, military and business are created and adopted especially by politicians, officials, officers and journalists.In most of conditions, political euphemisms are used to cover the truth and deceive the audience. There are many kinds of specialize

38、d English language in the U.S. government, for example, “Officialese” for English language used by American government only; “Bureaucratese” for English language used by American bureaucrats only; “Pentagonese” for English language used after the “9.11” event; “State Departmentese” for special Engli

39、sh language used by the American State Department. Those different kinds of “languages” are used to beautify the government. While the president Ragan is in office, the government replaces the policy of increasing revenue to Revenue Enhancement. And “economic crisis” is replaced by “depression or re

40、cession”, “strike” is called “industrial action or industrial dispute”, and “an unemployed mother” is called “a welfare mother”. Euphemisms about military are often used to cover the truth of a countrys invasion to another. American military always use this kind of euphemisms to maintain their good

41、image in peoples minds. For instance, “the war of invasion” is called the “international armed conflict” (international armed conflicts); “air attack” is called “air support”, “air strike” or “reinforcements air strike”; the “nuclear bomb” is called “device” and after the Second World War, the Unite

42、d States changed its War Department into Defense Department(向仍东，2005). Euphemisms about business are often applied in products advertisements. Nowadays, peoples shopping behaviors are becoming more and more rational, in order to persuade consumers to buy their products or receive their services, pro

43、ducts makers try to use vocabulary with happy association rather than unpleasant words, making people desire to take actions. There are many good examples in advertising English. When ladies in America is buying pantyhose, they will encounter frequently the sign Queen Size which means XXL, the queen

44、 size pantyhose is prepared for fat women, but the word “fat” is too direct and harsh to be presented, so the businessmen choose “Queen Size” rather than “XXL”. The use of imperative form in advertising is curter, bringing consumers a kind of forced feeling. For example, Come to Marlboro country (Ma

45、rlboro cigarettes advertising) sounds more curt than Watching the world go by (Citizen advertising). 2.4 Euphemisms about Occupations, Money, Age and AppearanceThe respect to a person and his privacy encourages us to use euphemisms about occupations, money, age and appearance. There are many kinds o

46、f jobs in society, some of which noble, while some humble, dirty, bitter, and tired. In order to satisfy peoples psychological needs, professional euphemisms are produced(万青, 2011). There are some examples. The “gardener” is called “tree surgeon”, “housewife” is named “domestic help” or “day-help”.

47、“head waiter” (the servant who is in charge of a group of workers) is called “captain” (manager); “dustman meaning a person whose job is to empty peoples rubbish from dustbins is called sanitary engineer”; “butcher is called “meat technologist”; and nowadays we use “cosmetician” or “beautician” inst

48、ead of “hairdresser”; and “gardener” is called “landscape technician”.Euphemisms about money are usually used to protect peoples face especially when people have no money to buy anything or purchase any service. There is a classical example in John. M .Thackerays novel Vanity Fair: “He was both out of pockets and out of spirits by that catastrophe, failed in his health and prophesied the speedy ruin of the empire.” In this example, the phrase “out of pocket” is a typical euphemism to describe that a