II. Formation of Euphemism

The word “euphemism” comes from the Greek eu, “good”, and pheme, “speech” or “saying”, it means “to speak with good words or in a pleasant manner”. (Zhong 36) A taboo means prejudice that prohibits use or mention of something because of its sacres nature. In the old times, because people had a very low level, so they failed to understand the essence of natural phenomena, they became superstitious about supernatural even natural powers, or they thought exist devils and gods that were too fearful to mention objects related to devils of gods and to prompt something both speakers and listeners knew but refused to say indirectly expressions, thus creating a lot of euphemism can last up to date. Language and culture are intertwinded. Language, as a crucial means of communication, is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Without language, culture and communication would not be possible. Cross-cultural awareness and communicative competence are now widely recognized as an important goal of language teaching. To achieve effective cross-cultural communication, students should acquire not only linguistic competence but also pragmatic competence. 委婉语在中学英语教学中的应用研究(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_16829.html