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1、English Euphemisms in the Intercultural CommunicationIntroductionEnglish Euphemism, which is an indirect and roundabout expression employed to mention something unpleasant, is a form of language as well as a cultural phenomenon. With the development of society and economy, smooth and successful comm
2、unications are playing a more and more important role in every social class and field, especially in the intercultural communication, of which the tactful usage of euphemism is the most essential part. Sometimes euphemisms are used for avoiding taboos; and sometimes they are used for being polite or
3、 considering the feelings of other people. The developing civilization of the society requires people to be more cultivated and polite, while euphemism is just such a polite and elegant expression used in place of a more common term which the user fears might be offensive. It is necessary in all soc
4、ial situations from everyday conversations to serious discussions. Any communicative principles would be impossible without the appropriate understanding and use of English euphemisms. Misunderstanding and improper use of euphemism may create communication barriers to intercultural communication. As
5、 we all know, any ignorance of different social customs and diverse cultural values may not only cause communicative obstacles, but also bring about prejudice, offence, even hostility, all of which are not the consequences we expect in the process of communication. So we know that language is not on
6、ly the carrier of culture, but also the representative of it. In other words, language is influenced by culture, and in the meantime it reflects culture. In order to avoid the misunderstanding and conflict caused by communicative hinders, we have to know the euphemistic expressions of certain things
7、, especially when communicating with others from multi-cultural backgrounds. Therefore, mastering a good knowledge of English euphemism and its diverse values in intercultural communication is of particular importance. 1. Definition and Features of English Euphemism1.1 Definition of English Euphemis
8、mEuphemism is a universal linguistic phenomenon. In the process of communication, the unsuitable or too direct words will make people feel uncomfortable and even angry. Then there is a great necessity for us to express our emotion and exchange ideas in a tactful way. It is known that euphemism is a
9、form of language intentionally created in social communication to achieve ideal purposes. (王莉, 1988.)The word “euphemism” was derived from the Greek word “euphemisms”, which means “fair speech”. The prefix “eu” means “good, sound well” and “pheme” means “saying” or “speech”. And thus the literal mea
10、ning of “euphemism” is “to speak with good words or in a pleasant manner”. That is to say, euphemism is used as an alternative for unpleasant expression. In Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, it is the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one th
11、ought substituted. Rawson Blunt, a British writer, defined euphemism as “a good favorable interpretation of a bad word.” Encyclopedia Britannica also defines euphemism as “a figure of speech in which something of an unpleasant, distressing or indelicate nature is described in less offensive terms”.
12、From the above mentioned, we could clearly see that euphemism is characterized by avoidance language and evasive expression. It is one form of language and a linguistic phenomenon.1.2 Features of English Euphemism1.2.1Indirect and ImplicitThe most important character of euphemism is indirect and imp
13、licit. Euphemism always gives people hints in a roundabout way. We can infer the deeper meaning and intention from the context.1.2.2 UniversalityUniversality is something that is well-known and accepted by all of the people. Though euphemism is indirect and it doesnt come straight to the point, peop
14、le can easily infer its deeper implication. Some taboos connected with sex, death, or body functions are replaced by euphemisms. And the public has accepted this kind of use. 1.2.3 The Feature of TimesThe changes of language depend on the need and changes of the society. And euphemism undergoes a pr
15、ocess of metabolism. It bears a marked brand of times.1.2.4 Regional FeatureThere are two causes of regional differences. First is a regional cultural difference. In different regions, the culture there will effect the development of euphemism. Second is the difference of geographic environments. 1.
16、2.5 Diversity of Lingual RegionSomeone thinks that only upper and middle class use euphemism. But this conclusion is too absolute. We can analyze it from three aspects:The difference of gender and age usually influence the choice of the synonyms of euphemism. Difference of profession or identity als
17、o plays an important part. Euphemism changes while the profession and identity change. This is a synchrony variation. Difference of style or context is another aspect. Euphemism is restricted by the context. For example, “On the 14th of March, at a quarter to three in the afternoon, the greatest liv
18、ing thinker ceased to think. (F. Engels, Speech at the Graveside of Karl Marx)” This example involves the passing away of a great man. And the phrase “ceased to think” echoes “thinker”. This euphemism produces a good effect. 2 Functions of English Euphemisms in Intercultural CommunicationLike a kind
19、 of lubrication, euphemism enables people to express what cannot be uttered directly and ensures communication to be carried smoothly. It is a language strategy in civilized society and it has many social functions. (胡壮麟,姜望琪.语言教学教程,2004)A full knowledge of euphemism can avoid embarrassment in commun
20、ication with multi-background people, which means its very essential for everyone to know euphemisms of different countries well. In the meantime, if we can comprehend its functions skillfully, we will make use of it in a more proper way. In the following paragraphs we will talk something about the
21、social values of euphemism.2.1 Taboo FunctionTaboo is the main psychological basis of the emergence of euphemism. Euphemism is the avoidance of the unpleasant, inelegant things. Generally speaking, the coming into being of euphemism all begins from taboo. From the origin of euphemism, we can see tha
22、t taboo is the first function of euphemism. Euphemism has been using for a long time, and it is closely related to taboo. When people try to avoid and give up taboo words, they have to find another word to replace this vacancy at the same time. Hence, people created euphemism. The evading function o
23、f euphemism also works today. Some taboo notions cannot be easily removed from peoples mind.2.2 Polite FunctionPolite function of euphemism is to avoid inelegant things and make people feel pleasant. It means that in real life, when people meet with some unpleasant things or behaviors, they usually
24、choose some vague expressions to avoid making bold or hurting others feeling-to use euphemism.2.3 Covering up FunctionIn Vagueness Language, covering up function is taken as deliberately withholding information. Western political life gives birth to euphemism. Some politicians and news Medias have m
25、ade good use of the vagueness of euphemism to cover up the facts of some events for the purpose of making the politics, economy, and military more steady.Concealing the dark side of society is to alleviate the social contradictions caused by sex, violence, poverty, unemployment, and crime. People do
26、nt need to be surprised at these phenomena.There are also some euphemisms about economy. The euphemisms here are in the true sense of the word “false”. They are used to cover up the true nature of events, deceiving the public with nice-sounding and pseudo technical words.”2.4 Inducing FunctionSometi
27、mes, people use euphemism to make their statement more persuasive. Thus the cosmetic words have a special communicative function, which is called inducing function. Euphemism has been widely applied in advertisement and sales promotion activities.Those euphemisms desalinate the unpleasant feeling th
28、at the former concepts give us and intensify a feeling of more reliable and elegant. As a result, those products will be identified with the consumers and achieved the promotion goal. From the pragmatic view, the achieving of inducing function is caused by the glorification of the intrinsic meaning.
29、2.5 Tactical FunctionIf a same meaning is expressed in many different ways, their effects are entirely different. This is what we called the art of speaking. If we apply this strategy to our daily life, our life will be more colorful.For example, on the plane, there are some bags that can be used by
30、 the passengers to shoot his cookies. People dont print the words “vomit bag” on the surface of the bag. Instead, they use the words “for motion discomfort”. And the result proved that the vomit phenomenon has reduced. Because compared with the former words, the word “for motion discomfort” prevents
31、 the passengers from vomiting when in a state of airsickness. This is the tactical function of euphemism.2.6 Humor FunctionJocular euphemism has been used to help people face the fact more easily. For example, people use “push up daisies” to take place of be “buried” because the former words can red
32、uce peoples horror towards death. And “be sent into prison” is replaced by “live at governments expense”. This expression is witty. Another example, “after three days in Japan, the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.” Its implicative is that in Japan, people are very polite. They usually
33、 bow many times a day to greet someone.3 English Euphemisms in the Intercultural CommunicationWhen the rapid development of science and technology. Our world becomes a global village. People from all around the world have a stronger tie than ever before. Intercultural communication turns out to be a
34、 hot topicEvery day，every time，we are having with people in various backgrounds. “One does not need to explain why one has to go to the toilet, go to the mens (1adies1 room, rest room, washroom, 1avatory and the John. If one does have to explain, it would be to wash ones hands, to relieve oneself, o
35、r to see a man about a horse, or become nature calls (the last two if)fl humorous way); if a woman. One does so to powder her nose, to fresh up. If one does have trouble with ones diet，or has an upset stomach, the doctor might ask“How are your bowel movement?” and say. “We need a stool specimen”. Fo
36、r Chinese studying abroad, or for interpreters accompanying foreigners to the doctors, not knowing the English for such things can be quite a predicament. (Deng Liu, 1989)7111e more you know, the more it helps. The relationship of euphemism and intercultural communication is mutualbenefit.The value
37、and moral concepts implied in English and Chinese Euphemisms are different. For example, the Chinese culture places all emphasis on Minghui(名讳).In the rigidly stratified feudal society, the powerful could do whatever they want, but the weak were not allowed to do anything. In ancient times, people c
38、annot call the emperors name. The common people even have no fight to mention the characters having the same sound as the Emperors name. The name of Qin shi huang, the first emperor of Qing dynasty, is Ying zheng. So people changed Zhengyue(正月)into Duanyue(端月). Another official named Tian deng forba
39、de the use of characters having the same sound as his name. So he changed Fangden(放灯)into Fanghuo(放火). Therefore, there is an allusion:”只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯”.However，British and American people think that God created the human，all men ale created equal，and there are few euphemisms about name in EnglishThey
40、 even call their parents name directly to show the friendly relationFurthermore, it is inoffensive for the young to have the same names as the old people. This kind of cultural system is different from that of China3.1Communicative Obstacles Caused by Different CulturesBecause of belonging to differ
41、ent languages, different cultural traditions, different historical backgrounds and other different factors, people usually feel difficult talking with others, especially in intercultural communication. In other words, we always meet some communication obstacles caused by ignorance of other countries
42、 culture. For instance, Chinese and Americans are born to different cultures and undoubtedly they are different in many aspects. So cultural differences may be the blocks of intercultural communication and how to clear away the obstacles has become the common problem we have to face and solve.In the
43、 long period of evolution and practice, human beings have been knowing and remaking the objective world, and in the meantime establishing and developing their own languages and cultures, thus they have formed various language patterns and cultural communities. As a matter of fact, the study of euphe
44、mism may clear away the obstacles to some extent. There are abundant euphemisms that flourish in the cultures of both Chinese and English, which may lead to the conflict because of different comprehension of euphemism. So through the study of euphemism, we can have a better understanding of the cult
45、ural differences between Chinese and American, and then communicate better during the process.3.2 Relationship between English Euphemisms and CulturesCulture refers to the entire way of a society such as customs，traditions，social habits，values，beliefs and language. Different cultures have their own
46、different history，politics and thinking way. Therefore, the value and moral concepts implied in English and Chinese Euphemisms are different.For example, Chinese culture places an emphasis on name. In the rigidly stratified feudal society，the powerful could do whatever they want，but the weak were no
47、t allowed to do anything. In ancient times, people cannot call the emperors name. However, British and American people think that God created the human. So all men are created equally and there are few euphemisms about name in English. They even call their parents name directly to show the friendly
48、relation. Furthermore, it is inoffensive for the young to have the same names as the old people. Thus, we can see that there are different euphemisms in different cultures. Having a good knowledge of the cultures of English-speaking countries will benefit us a lot in the process of using euphemisms
49、and also smooth our intercultural communication.3.3 Different Usages of English Euphemism in Different CulturesEnglish and Chinese belong to different cultures, so different cultural backgrounds and traditions determine the emergence and usage of its own euphemism. It is of great significance for us to master the usages of euphemism of diverse cultures, particularly in the intercultural communication. In the following paragraphs we will see the differ
