英语中的委婉语euphemism.ppt

English Euphemism
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Definition
Euphemism is a pleasant replacement for an objectionable word that has pejorative connotations.
The word “euphemism” comes from ancient Greek.
three morphemes ：



So euphemism means “speaking well of”.
“eu-”
“being good or well”,
“pheme-”
“speech”,
“-ism”
"an act or the result of an act".
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Social background of the emergence of euphemism
The emergence and development of euphemism was caused mainly by the people of middle class.
People of upper class didn’t choose their work with great care any longer because their social status has been stabilized.
People of lower-class didn’t have the ability to weigh their words because of their knowledge limitation.
People of middle class want to improve their present condition and social status,so they try to prettify themselves in language.
During the past decades,in some English speaking countries,a lot of euphemism emerged and was developing quickly because of the increase of the people of middle class.
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Formation devices
Most euphemisms are formed by morphological devices, phonetic devices, spelling devices, lexical devices, and rhetorical devices.
Morphological devices include word-forming methods such as compounding, back formation, acronymy and clipping. For instance,the acronym "BM" is formed from bowel movement (大便); the word "lav" is the clipped form of lavatory(洗手间).
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Lexical devices are often employed to attain euphemistic is,to substitute a taboo word with pejorative in instance, agent for spy, speculator for gambler, silencer for murderer. Borrowing is a favorite method for students, especially in the Victorian Age.
Figures of speech are also effective means to serve euphemistic function. These are metaphorical transfer (as in meat technologist for butcher), negation (as in unwise for stupid), understatement (as in the needy for the poor) and periphrasis