浅析英语委婉语功能学位论文Word格式.docx

浅析英语委婉语功能学位论文Word格式.docx

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avoidance;

religious;

polite

中文摘要

委婉语是一种常见的全球语言现象。

它是我们日常沟通的重要组成部分。

作为英语不可或缺的的一部分，英语委婉已引起许多语言学家和学者的广泛关注。

委婉扎根于社会生活的各个方面，并与社会发展同步。

英语委婉语是西方文化与社会心理的反映。

从它诞生时就有独特的文化色彩。

委婉无疑反映了文化传统之间的内在关系，社会价值观念和语言形式。

本文首先简要介绍了委婉的特点：

普遍性，间接性，民族性和区域性。

委婉语在政治和战争中使用是为了掩盖严重的社会问题、政治丑闻、歪曲事实、提出和平假象。

委婉语在交谈中使用是为了避免尴尬，缓和局势和表现得得体。

关键词：

委婉；

功能；

掩饰；

避讳；

宗教；

得体

ChapterOneIntroduction

1.Introduction:

Euphemismisacommonlinguisticphenomenonintheglobalculture.Itplaysanimportantpartinourdailycommunication.AsanindispensableandnaturalpartofEnglishlanguage,Englisheuphemismhasarousedwideinterestamonglinguistsandscholarsfromdifferentperspectives.Euphemism,auniversallanguagephenomenon,hasspecialcommunicativefunctionsinsociallife.Agoodknowledgeofeuphemismwouldhelpimprovetheeffectofsocialcommunication.

Theword“euphemism”comesfromGreek,“eu”meansgoodorwell,theroot“pheme“meansspeech,and-ismisanounsuffix,whichmeanstheresult,soitliterallymeansspeakingwellof…,goodspeechorwordsofgoodomen.

1.1TheDefinitionofEuphemism:

Euphemismhasbeendefineddifferentlyindifferentbooks.Therearesomedefinitionscitedasfollows:

（1）Euphemismissubstitutionofmildorvagueorroundaboutexpressionforharshordirectone.（ConciseOxfordDictionary,1982,7thedition）

（2）Euphemismissubstitutionofanagreeableorinoffensiveexpressionforonethatmayoffendorsuggestsomethingunpleasant.”（Webster’sNewcollegiateDictionary1973）

（3）Euphemismisapolitewordorexpressionthatpeopleusewhentheyaretalkingaboutsomethingwhichtheyorotherpeoplefindunpleasantorembarrassing,suchasdeathorsex.（Collins,1987）

（4）Euphemismisusedasanalternativetoanexpression,inordertoavoidpossiblelossofface:

eitherone’sownfaceor,throughgivingoffense,thatoftheaudience,orofsomethirdparty.（Allan&

Burridge,1991）

Allthedefinitionsabovesharethesamepoint,thatis,togiveabettersoundingname,tosoftentheshockofrealityor,sometimes,tocoverupdreadfulfacts.Therearesomethingsinlifethatshouldnotbestatedbluntlyortruthfully.Therearetimeswhenitisnecessary,evenwise,notto“callaspadeaspade”buttousesomebetter-soundingname.Theseharsh,blunt,unpleasant,oroffensivethingsthatwehavetodeliberatelyavoidmentioningdirectlyforfearofhurtingotherpeople’sfeeling.Andwhatarethebetter-soundingnames?

The“gildedwords”,asH.L.callsthem.

1.2TheImportantRoleofEuphemism:

Asafigureofspeech,euphemismplaysanimportantpartincommunication.RobertBurchfield,formanyyearstheeditorofTheOxfordEnglishDictionary,onceobservedthat“alanguagewithouteuphemismswouldbeadefectiveinstrumentofcommunication”（qtd.InCullenMurphytheEWord,2000）”.Enright,D.J.,thefamousEnglishcriticofliterature,oncesaid,“Withouteuphemisms,theworldcomestoahaltbecausefricationandresentmentswouldriseamongpeople.”Thisremarkillustratesthateuphemismplaysanimportantroleinthemaintenanceofsocialrelationsandinterpersonalrelationships.Euphemismisacommonphenomenonofalllanguagesandamirrorofsocialpsychology.Itissowidelyusedinourdailylifethatithasarousedpeople’sinterest.

ChapterTwotheCharacteristicsofEuphemism

2.TheCharacteristicsofEuphemism:

2.1Universality

Almostallculturesseemtohavecertainnotionsorthingsthatpeopletrytoavoidmentioningdirectly.Thatis,nearlyeveryculturehasitsowntaboos.Whensuchanotionorthinghastobereferredto,peoplewouldliketosubstituteadifferenttermorphrasethatsoundsbetter.“Sowehaveeuphemisminalmosteverylanguage.”

Euphemismissowidelyspreadinthelanguagesoftheworldthatitpenetratesintopeopleofallwalksoflife.TheAmericanscholarHughRawsononcesaid,“Euphemismissodeeplyrootedinthelanguagethatalmosteveryoneusesiteveryday,includingthosewhoclaimtobethemoststraightforward.”Andthemeaningsofsomewordsisuniversal,forexample,therearehundredsofeuphemismsabout“death”inbothChineseandEnglish.

2.2Indirectness

HeZhaoxiongoncepointedout,“Peoplesometimesconveytheirideasinaroundaboutwayinsteadofexpressingthemdirectly.”Thisphenomenoniscalledindirectness.Thespeakerbelievesthatwhathesays,whichisbasedonthecontext,makessensetothelistener,sohe/shespeaksinanotherwaytoavoidembarrassmentorbepolite.Forexample,topissisusuallyexpressedasgotothebathroom.

2.3NationalismandRegionalism:

Alanguagecontainsthecharacteristicsofthenationalcultureandembodiesanation'

sculturalidentity,culturalconsciousnessanditsdifferentwaysofthinking.Deferentregionhasadifferenthistory,customsandtaboos,thusthesedifferenceswouldcertainlybereflectedineuphemism.DifferencesinattitudetowardsoldageintheEastandWestareatypicalexample.ChineseandEnglishhavedifferentfeelingabout“oldage”.Chineseisproudofbeingold.InChinesetherearefeweuphemismsforold.Peopleshowmorerespecttooldpeopleandtheyarethoughttobemoreexperienced.Forinstance,laomashitu（老马识途），laozong（老总），zhaolao（赵老）,etc.Lao（老）isnotatabooinChinese.Thespeakercanshowhisaffection.

Onthecontrary,theAmericanareafraidofbecomingold.Theywanttoact,feelandlookyoung.Intheiropinion,theoldpeoplelivealonelylifeandarenolongerenergetic.Oldpeopleareseemedasasocialburdenoneconomy,sotherearealotofmildandroundaboutexpressionstoshowtheconceptof“oldage”,forexample,“themature”,“seniorcitizens”,etc.

ChapterThreeTheApplicationsandFunctionsofEnglishEuphemism

3.Theapplicationsandfunctionsofeuphemism:

3.1DisguiseFunction:

Itisobviousthatthoseeuphemismsusedbytheordinarypeoplearemeanttosoftenharshreality,butthoseusedbypoliticiansmayaimatdeceivingthepublic.

3.11Intermsofpoliticalscandals:

Sinceeuphemismsoftenexpresssomethinginanimplicitandroundaboutway,sometimesthismaycauseambiguityandpeoplemayfeelconfusedaboutthem.So,politicians,statementandbusinessmenalwaysmakefulluseofthisfeaturetomaskthereality,exoneratetheirguilt.Theprimaryfeatureofeuphemismhereistonumbthepublicwithouttellingadownrightlieyettogetanalmostequallydesirableresponse.

Therearealotofeuphemismsproducedduringthe“Watergatescandal”bypresidentNixonandhiscolleaguesofthe20thcentury.Forinstance,“wiretappingorbugging”isreferredtoas“electronicsurveillance”,“eavesdrop”as“intelligence-gathering”,“theschemeofeavesdrop”as“scenario”,andeven“thescandal”became“event”.

AftertheWatergatescandalin1972,thesuffix“-gate”isusedtorefertoanysimilarpoliticaleventsorbigscandalinsteadofusingthewordscandaloraffairdirectly,forexample,theMonicagateorClintongate.

Politicsisafertileareaforthegrowthofeuphemisms，whicharecosmeticinexpressionbutdeceptiveinnature.Euphemismsofthiskindarealwaysusedconsciouslyanddeliberately.Euphemismsusedinpoliticalissuesaremainlyseenintheinternalandinternationalaspects.

3.12Intermsofwarandmilitaryaction:

Inthefieldofpoliticsandwar,usingeuphemismhasbecomeastrategytolubricatethecommunicationandevenaimsatdeceivingthepublic.Besides,warisafertilefieldforeuphemism.Governmentsneedeuphemismstopersuadepeopletoputupwiththesufferingofwar.

Thefollowingistakenfrom"

TheNewYorkTimes"

reportsonMarch25,2003:

“The$60billionpricetagforthe1991PersianGulfWarwassharedamongmanycountriesintheU.S.-ledcoalitionagainstSaddam.ItisunclearhowmanynationswouldjoininandpickupsomeofthecostofanothermilitarycampaigninIraq.”

AtthattimetheinternationalsituationwasthattheinternationalcommunityproposedpeacefulsolutiontotheIraqicrisis,buttherewasabigdifferencebetweenthepermanentmembersoftheSecurityCouncil.ThefirstsentencereviewedthefactthattheWesterncountriestookpartintheGulfWaractively,whilesupportfortheIraqwarin2003waslittle.Tocoverupthisfact,thenewsreportedinanambiguousway:

“ItisunclearhowmanynationswouldjoininandpickupsomeofthecostofanothermilitarycampaigninIraq.”Thisisamanifestationofeuphemism.

AftertheoutbreakoftheIraqwarin2003,wecanhearthefrequentwordsinVOAlikedisarmIraq,andtakemilitaryactionagainstIraq.Ifyoudisarmpeople,youtakeawaytheirweapons,whichmeanstodepriveofweapons.Whilethemeaningofmilitaryactionisfightingina