Euphemism

     Euphemism is a proper language style that people pursue in social communication in order to reach an ideal communication effect. Euphemism can avoid and soften taboos and sensitive or awkward topics. In every stage and each country, euphemisms are widely used. Thus, the creation and usage of euphemism is a common phenomenon in human language. Because euphemism is used in certain community and is influenced by social-cultural factors, thus, it is heavily marked with social-cultural features. As a special language phenomenon, euphemism not only includes those euphemistic expressions accepted by community members, but also includes the euphemistic communication style that people adopt in specific environment. The use of euphemism varies with the gender, age, social status and occupation, etc., of the social members and euphemism covers various aspects of social culture, including social conventions, traditional morality, religion, social values and politics, etc., which shows that euphemism is deeply rooted in social culture. It is impossible to have a profound understanding of language without referring to social culture.

    

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines euphemism in this way: "the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also: the expression so substituted." Leech (1981, p. 45) defines euphemism as "the practice of referring to something offensive or delicate in terms that make it sound more pleasant." Sanderson (1999, p. 259) also states that euphemism "can be used as a way of being vague and unclear, or to cover up the truth or reality of a situation." Johnstone (2008, p. 59) in her book also phrases that euphemism is "the use of a supposedly less objectionable variant for a word with negative connotations."

Simply put, there are some words and topics which are not supposed to be mentioned directly in various cultures. To avoid the negative meanings and connotations of the words and subjects, euphemisms are employed. Mostly, euphemisms encompass the subjects such as religion, politics, sex, death, different functions of the human body, and diseases.

According to Wardhaugh (1986, p. 231), "Perhaps one linguistic universal is that no social group uses language quite uninhibitedly." Thus, it can be inferred that all cultures probably use euphemisms. One important issue is that: Euphemisms are culture-specific.

Hai-long (2008) contends that "Language and culture are inseparable from each other. As an inalienable part of language, euphemism bears the mark of culture." He continues that it "can be easily tracked in our conversation and they reflect different levels of culture and various patterns of culture. To some extent, euphemism is a mirror of culture."

No doubt, every language can demonstrate the culture of the people who use it. As mentioned before, it should not be ignored that the use of euphemisms varies from culture to culture because of different history, social customs, values, religions, and moral standards. Cultural differences will lead to dissimilar form and content of euphemistic expressions in various languages. Depending on from which culture a text is translated to which culture, the amount of using euphemisms could change.

Begin the lesson by explaining that English, like all languages, has subjects that can be difficult to talk about, because the original words for these subjects can offend, disturb, or embarrass the person one is addressing. State that for these subjects we use words called euphemisms, which are "softer" words than the original words. For example, mention that death is often talked about with euphemisms such as pass away, pass on, go to heaven, etc.

Write on the board poor, fat, and old and state that these words are often euphemized in English. Ask students if they know any euphemisms for them. (Possible answers might be, respectively, low-income, working class, modest; overweight, stout, portly, husky; senior, mature, traditional.) As students offer euphemisms, write them on the board.

Continue by pointing out that euphemisms are often difficult to understand on purely linguistic terms. To illustrate this, write the following sentences (or similar ones) on the board (this may be done in advance). Tell students to "translate" each sentence into clear, straightforward English. Provide photocopies of the glossary in this article for reference. (Note: as the glossary is organized by original word, not by euphemism, students will need to guess the meaning of the euphemisms by context.)

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     His grandfather passed away.

·         My father is between jobs but has two interviews today.

·         The peace officer apprehended the sanitation man for speeding.

·         The sales associate answered in the affirmative when the judge asked him if he had ever been incarcerated.

·         The manager complained to his administrative assistant of inventory shrinkage.

·         Our son is a special child.

·         Dan's supervisor laid him off because he was unmotivated.

·         American football is a physical game, and has disabled many players.

·         The individual was accused of appropriating funds.

·         The correctional facility has 220 inmates, five of whom are facing capital punishment.