English Euphemism and Its Application.docx
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English Euphemism and Its Application.docx
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EnglishEuphemismandItsApplication
EnglishEuphemismandItsApplication
Abstract:
TheEnglisheuphemismisanimportantpartofEnglishlanguage.Atthesametime,italsoisaveryimportantwayofrhetoric.Theword"euphemism"isderivedfromaGreekword,itusesimplicit,mild,gentle,pleasant,neutral,inoffensivelanguageinsteadofharsh,blunt,coarse,unpleasant,excitantones,soitcanavoidorcoversometaboowordsorsentences,avoidgivingriseinawkward,embarrassedsituations,evenreachakindof"lubricant"effect.BasedonthedevelopmentofEnglisheuphemism.Thispaperdiscussesthebasicfeaturesofeuphemism,includingtimesvariations,regionalvariations,semanticsvariations,nationaltrait,andidiomaticfeature.Anditalsoanalyzesthestructuresofeuphemism.Atlast,wemainlydiscusstheapplicationsofeuphemisminthesociallifefromthetwoaspects.Theyareexaggeratingeuphemismandnarrowingeuphemism.WehopeitwillimproveEnglishlearners’languagequalityandcommunicativeability.
Keywords:
euphemism;features;applications;exaggeratingeuphemism;narrowingeuphemism
摘要:
英语委婉语是英语语言的重要组成部分。
同时,它也是一种非常重要的修辞手法。
委婉语这一词源于希腊语,它运用含蓄,温和,文雅,婉转等语言代替生硬,率直,粗俗,恐惧,带刺激性的语言,所以它能够回避或掩饰一些忌讳的词或句子,避免产生使人尴尬,难堪的局面,从而达到一种“润滑剂”的效果。
本文考察了英语委婉语的发展历史的基础上,来研究了英语委婉语的基本的特点,它具有时代性,地域性,语域性,民族性和习语化五种特点。
并分析了英语委婉语的构成方式,最后从夸张性委婉语和缩小性委婉语两种类别探讨了英语委婉语在社会生活中的应用,希望有助于英语学习者提高言语素养及言语交际能力。
关键词:
委婉语;特点;应用;夸张性委婉语;缩小性委婉语
Contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………………i
摘要…………………………………………………………………………ii
Contents……………………………………………………………………iii
Introduction…………………………………………………………………1
1.TheFeaturesofEnglishEuphemism…………………………………1
1.1Timesvariations………………………………………………………2
1.2Regionalvariations……………………………………………………2
1.3Semanticsvariations…………………………………………………3
1.4Nationaltrait…………………………………………………………3
1.5Idiomaticfeature………………………………………………………3
2TheStructuresofEnglishEuphemism…………………………………4
2.1Usingborrowingwordsandslang……………………………………4
2.2Metaphoricaltransferandsemanticshift………………………………4
2.3Appendingnegativeprefixorusingtheoppositemeaningphrases……5
2.4Phoneticdistortion……………………………………………………6
2.5Wordsandphrasesinturns……………………………………………7
3.TheApplicationsofEnglishEuphemism………………………………8
3.1Exaggeratingeuphemism………………………………………………8
3.2Narrowingeuphemism………………………………………………11
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………12
Bibliography………………………………………………………………13
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………14
Introduction
TheEnglisheuphemismisanimportantpartofEnglishlanguageandanimportantwayofrhetoric.Itexistsinallkindsoflanguage.EnglisheuphemismisderivedfromaGreekword."Eu"istheprefixofGreek.Itmeanswell,goodsounding."Pheme"isarootofGreek.Itmeansspeaking,saying.Buteuphemism'smeaningistospeakwithgoodwordsorinapleasantmannerinwriting,so"euphemismsaremild,gentle,pleasant,neutral,orinoffensiveexpressionsusedinsteadofharsh,blunt,coarse,orunpleasantones[1]".TheNewOxfordDictionaryofEnglishmakesthedefinitionofEnglisheuphemism:
"Amildorindirectwordorexpressionsubstitutedforoneconsideredtobetooharshorbluntwhenreferringtosomethingunpleasantorembarrassing[2]".Theyareoftenusedoutofcourtesyorconsiderationforotherpeople’sfeeling,forinstance,wewouldprobablysaytoourfriend,"Iamsorrytohearyourrelationwithyourbrotherhasnotbeenveryfortunate"insteadsof"Iamsorrytohearyouoftenquarrelwithyourbrother[1]",becausewefeelthatthefirststatementismoreagreeablethanthesecondone.
1.TheFeaturesofEnglishEuphemism
TherearefivefeaturesofEnglisheuphemism,includingtimesvariations,regionalvenations,semanticsvariations,nationaltraitandidiomaticfeature.Eachfeaturehasitselfcharacter.
1.1Timesvariations
Peopleusuallythinkthesamethingshouldbethesamemeaningwiththesameexpression.ButEnglisheuphemismhasdifferenteuphemisticexpressionsindifferenttimes.Thefollowingsentencescanexplainthevariationoftimesofeuphemism.
Forexample,theword"pregnant"inEnglishundergoesthefollowingeuphemisticexpressions:
"Shehascanceledallhersocialengagements.(1856)
Sheisinaninterestingcondition.(1890)
Sheisinadelicatecondition.(1895)
Sheisknittinglittlebooties.(1910)
Sheisinafamilyway.(1920)
Sheisexpecting.(1935)
Sheispregnant.[3]"(1956)
Itspends100years.Atlast,ittalksonthetruth.
1.2Regionalvariations
Thereisdifferenthistoricalculture,custom,andtabooindifferentregion.Thesedifferencesshowthedifferencesofregioninlanguage.Forexample,"condom"whichisusedbymen,theBritishcallsit"Frenchletter",butFrenchcallsit"Capoteanglicize".Thethingshouldbeavoidedinthesamesocialcustom;therehavedifferentexpressionsinrespectiveregions.
1.3Semanticsvariations
Indifferentlanguagecircumstanceorinsamelanguagecircumstance,butpeoplewithdifferentage,thedegreeofeducation,status,sotheyuseafewwaystoexpresseuphemism.Forinstance,thephrase"gotothelavatory",theladiescansay"topowderone'snoise,tofreshenup",thegentlemencansay"togotothetoilet,torelieveoneselforbecausenaturecalls",butchildrencansay"tomakenumberone,togotothepot[3]".
1.4Nationaltrait
Expressingameaningoftenhasdifferentexpressionsindifferentnations.Take"age"forexample:
Chinesealwaysspeakdirectlyatthe"age",sometimes,inordertoexpressrespect,theyaddtheword"old"infrontofone'ssurname,becausethatwordcanshowthatthecalledpeopleareoldages,andincludingdeeprespect.ButthisexpressioncannotbeusedinAmericaorBritain,becausetheythinktheword"old"isnotgood,peopleuse"seniorcitizen","elderlypeople"or"advancedinage".
1.5Idiomaticfeature
Someeuphemismshavebeenusedbypeopleforalongtime,itbecomesakindofidiomaticfeatureandputsintothedictionary.Thecontentofsamemeaningisreplacedbydifferenteuphemisms.Forexample,"mad"whichisreplacedby"crazy,insane,lunatic,mentallyderanged".Butsomeeuphemismsarecasual,forinstance,onepersonthinkseuphemismastoilet,becausethatpersononcedonotunderstandthepauseofwordinsentence,thesentence"1need,touseaeuphemism,towashup"listenedto"1needtouseaeuphemismtowashup[3]".
2TheStructuresofEnglishEuphemism
2.1Usingborrowingwordsandslang
Becausetheborrowingwordscanreduceinactiveorsensitivethinking,usingHellenismorLatinismtoexpresssentencesorwords,itcanshowmoreserious,andmoretactful.Forexample,theword"halitus"isfromHellenism,butitcanchangeinto"halitosis",theword"micturition"cantaketheplaceofmorecoarsewordwhichis"piss''inIndo-Europeanlanguage,theword"felode-se"inLatinismcanbeplacedthephrase"commitsuicide",andtheword"toilette"inFrenchlanguagecanbeplacedtheword"bathroom"inEnglish.Thereareafewwordstoexpresstheword"toilet",suchas"Men,Women,Ladies,Gentlemen,PublicConvenience,ComfortStation,RestRoom,Washroom[4]".
Usingslangistoexpressmildtone,andtoreachtactfulpurpose.Forexample,"tokickthebucket"means"die","Bristolcities"means"breast[5]",andsoon.
2.2Metaphoricaltransferandsemanticshift
Usingakindofthingscanbeoftenlinkedtootherthings,andthesewordspartakeofromanticandpoeticsentiment,evenmildnessandloveliness.Itwillmakeoriginalwordslovelierandsofter.Thestyleoflanguagealsohasbeenchanged.Forinstance,"theflowers"and"(It's)MotherNature(cometocall)"means"menses","smelly"insteadsof"stinking","mountains"insteadsof"breast","OldNewtontookhim"means"hewasdeadincrashdamage","sourgrapes"means"envy,libel"andmorewords;ifyouthinksomeoneis"Hamlet",thatmeaningis"irresoluteandhesitant",ifyousayone'splanis"castleinSpain"whichmeansthattheplanisa"daydreamorcastleintheair",ifyousaysomewaysofdoingthings"carrycoalstoNewcastle"whichmeans"Makeanunnecessarymove",andsoon.
Semanticshiftisconcerningwithlinguisticexaggeratingornarrowing,itusesthewholeorparttotaketheplaceofavoidingandspecificsection.Forinstance,thephrases"togotobedwith"or"tosleepwith",itavoidssexualactivity,theword"end"or"bottom"insteadsof"buttocks".
2.3Appendingnegativeprefixorusingtheoppositemeaningphrases
Whenawordwithstrongornegativemeaningappendsinfrontofotherwords,itcanbeexpressedtoasofterandmoredefiniteword.Forexample,theword"unwise"insteadsof"stupid,foolish",theword"impolite"insteadsof"rude",theword"unwell"insteadsof"illorsick".
Sometimes,theoppositemeaningwordsorphrasesareeasiertoseparatedistancebetweeneuphemismsandtaboowordsthansynonyms,itmakeseuphemismssoundinteresting,andeasytounderstandforpeople.Forexample,"afatchance"means"aslimchance","finewords"means"badwords","afatlot"means"verylittle".
2.4Phoneticdistortion
PhoneticdistortionisoneofwaysofEnglisheuphemism.It'snormal
andcommon,inordertoreachtactfulpurpose,itcanbeusedinmanyways,asfollows.
Abbreviation:
thiswayisthemostcommonpattern.Itmeansthatomittingsomesyllables,inordertoreacheuphemisticeffect.Suchas,"Ladies"insteadof"ladies'room","Ca"insteadsof"cancer".
Apocopation:
It'sanotherformofabbreviation.Forinstance,"Vampire"issimplifiedinto"vamp","lavatory"ischangedinto"lav",and"homosexual"issimplifiedinto"homo".
Backforming:
forexample,theword"burglar"whichmeansthatapersonwhostealssomething,buttheword"burgle"whichisabackformingwordfromtheword"burglar","burgle"meansbreakingso
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