Etymology and usage The word euphemism comes from the Greek word ευφημία (euphemia)‚ meaning "the use of words of good omen"‚ which in turn is derived from the Greek root-words eu (ευ)‚ "good/well" + pheme (φήμι) "speech/speaking"‚ meaning glory‚ flattering speech‚ praise. Etymologically‚ the eupheme is the opposite of the blaspheme (evil-speaking). The term euphemism itself was used as a euphemism by the ancient Greeks‚ meaning "to keep a holy silence" (speaking well by not speaking at all). Historical
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objectives of this bachelor thesis are euphemisms and their usage in today´s English. Euphemisms are indirect expressions that are used instead of harsher ones to avoid unpleasant moments‚ embarrassment‚ or offence. They are used in sensitive social areas where direct speaking is unsuitable‚ like death‚ diseases or sex. The concern of indirect speaking can be either on the side of a speaker‚ on the side of an audience or on the side of a third side. Euphemisms are use to replace social taboos‚ swearing
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A euphemism is the substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener;[1] or in the case of doublespeak‚ to make it less troublesome for the speaker.[citation needed] It also may be a substitution of a description of something or someone rather than the name‚ to avoid revealing secret‚ holy‚ or sacred names to the uninitiated‚ or to obscure the identity of the subject of a conversation from potential eavesdroppers
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However‚ it sometimes occurs that cognitive and communicative principles are overridden because of the speaker’s expressive needs or a particular social situation. The violation of the principles in question may result in the use of metonymy – based euphemisms which I will try to explore in the following discussion. As it was mentioned before‚ there are certain cognitive and communicative principles which account for the choice of preferred metonymic vehicles. Among cognitive principles we distinguish
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Masaryk University Brno Faculty of Education Department of English Language and Literature Euphemisms Brno 2012 Author: Mgr. Kristýna Šebková Supervisor: Mgr. Radek Vogel‚ PhD. 1 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Radek Vogel‚ Ph.D. for revising my thesis and his helpful and friendly attitude. 2 Declaration I hereby declare that this paper is completely my own work and that I used only the sources listed in the bibliography. ....................
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1 Introduction Since the 1970s‚ one of the biggest changes in modern English has been the return of euphemism. The English word "euphemism ’ ’ originated from the Greek word "euphemismos"‚ which means "fair or good speech". The prefix "eu" means "good‚ sounds well good" and the root ’ ’pheme ’ ’ means ’ ’saying or speech ’ ’. And thus the literal meaning of ’ ’euphemism ’ ’ is ’ ’good speech ’ ’ or ’ ’saying something that sounds well good” (Liu Chunbao‚ 2001). (This is ungrammatical
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A Study on English Euphemism Euphemism is defined in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(1978)as¡°(an example of)the use of a pleasanter£¬less direct name for something thought to be unpleasant.¡± The New Edition of the Oxford Concise Dictionary (1976) defines euphemism as ¡°Substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for harsh or direct one; expression that substituted.¡± Euphemism is to use a polite or vague word or phrase used to replace another word or phrase that is thought
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Business negotiations of euphemism and expression Catalogue Abstract………………………………………………………………….3 Introduction……………………………………………………………..3 Body………………………………………………………………….......3 1. Business environment‚ each of the parties to achieve the intended purpose....3 2. Euphemism and Politeness Principle……………………………………...4 3. Business negotiations Pragmatic Politeness Strategy…………....................6 4. Business English Euphemism and expression……………….......…..
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45-48 DOI:10.3968/j.sss.1923018420130404.C613 Euphemism From Sociolinguistics Perspective CHI Ren[a]‚*; HAO Yu[a] [a] * acknowledged that in every language‚ there are a certain amount of euphemisms. Euphemisms are used in place of some sensitive‚ unpleasant‚ disturbing and taboo topics. Enright stated “A language without euphemisms would be a defective instrument of communication” (Enright‚ 1985‚ p.29). Hugh Rawson also affirmed “Euphemisms are embedded so deeply in our language that
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INTRODUCTION 2 CHAPTER I. THE NOTION OF EUPHEMISMS IN ENGLISH 5 I.1. Definition of Euphemisms 5 I.2. Classification of Euphemisms 6 I.3. Ambiguity and Logic 9 CHAPTER II. SOURCES OF EUPHEMISMS 15 II.1. The Language of Political Correctness 15 II.2. Obscurity‚ Officialese‚Jornalese‚ Commercialese 20 II.3. Vogue Words 24 II.4. Woolliness 27 II.5. Euphemisms Used in Different Spheres of Our Life 29 CHAPTER III. TRANSLATION OF EUPHEMISMS 34 III.1. Grammatical Difficulties in
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