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关键词: 委婉语，跨文化交际，相同，不同，实际
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments i
Abstract ii
摘要.iv
1 Introduction 1
2 A General Review of the Studies on Euphemism 32.1 Definition of Euphemism 3
2.2 The Three Principles Euphemism 4
3 Euphemisms in Cross-cultural Communication 8
3.1 Language, Culture, Euphemism and Communication 8
3.2 Communicative Functions of Euphemism 9
4 The Application of Euphemism in Intercultural Communication 13
4.1 Euphemisms of Address 13
4.2 Euphemisms of Occupation 14
4.3 Euphemisms of Warfare 15
4.4 Euphemisms of Excretion and Secretion 16
5 Conclusions 18
Bibliography 19
Declaration
This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any institutions of higher learning that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except when due reference is made in the text of the thesis.
1 Introduction
With the development of society, people have more chances to communicate with others. Therefore, great importance should be attached to language techniques during the discourses. Euphemism with polite or pleasant words substituting for offensive or unpleasant ones is commonly used in human beings’ society as a linguistic phenomenon. It is a momentous means to promote interpersonal relationships by using euphemism which is regarded as a worldly rhetoric device as well as the reflection of human cultures. Euphemism is favored by almost everyone in the world, because it has astonishing effects on modification and persuasion. The application of euphemism is required and adapted by the roles of speakers whose gender, social status, religion, moral values and their psychological culture needs politeness. Meanwhile, many other elements including physical environments may influence the use of euphemism.
The appearance of euphemism could be traced back to the 16th century, the British writer George Blunt advanced the term “euphemism” defining it as “a good or favorable interpretation of a bad word” in the early 1580s, and much ink had been poured in this field. After centuries, in 1981, the book named a Dictionary of Euphemism edited by the British linguist Hugh Rawson marked a new kick point of the study of euphemism. Many British and American linguists devoted themselves to completing this research collection for years. This book contains a 14-page long preface composed of the history, definition, coverage, classification and characteristics of euphemism. In 1983, a further detailed description of euphemisms and more discussions in this field appeared in the book Kind Words, a Thesaurus of Euphemisms written by American scholars J.S. Neaman & C.C. Silver. Later, more works dealt with euphemisms and the study of it probed further into the functions and the influences on society and culture. Robert Burchfiled held that a language without euphemism would be a defective instrument of communication. The progress of studying euphemism can witness changes in human languages, minds and cultures.
The study of Chinese euphemism dates back to Zhou Dynasty, but the breakthrough in euphemism is the book Introduction to Rhetoric written by Chen Wangdao in 1932. He put the euphemism in a syntax or even discourse level. But his theory was changed by foreign linguistic ones which flushed in China from the 1970s to the 1980s. Therefore many Chinese linguists viewed the euphemism in different perspectives, like social linguistics (1932), social psychological linguistics (1995), culture and rhetorics, pragmatics and so on. In both languages people have shared psychological foundations in the use of euphemisms. In Shu Dingfang’s view (1989), self-defense principle is fundamental in English and Chinese Euphemism. People tend to use good words or expressions to protect themselves for benefit. Li Guolan (2001:191) proposes that euphemism is better regarded as a communicative effect than a rhetorical device. Wu Liquan (2002:10) goes even further by claiming any manner of speaking that leans towards indirectness may be a euphemism.