英语委婉语及语用功能(初稿)

...1．IntroductionTheword“euphemism”originalcomesfromtheancientGreek.Theprefix“eu”meanswell,andtheroot“pheme”meansspeechorsaying.Thuseuphemismliterallymeanstospeakinapleasantwayorwithgoodwords.TheOxfordDictionarydefine“euphemism”asanindirectwayforpeopleoftentousetorefertosomethingembarrassingorunpleasant,sometimestomakeitseemmoreacceptablethanitreallyis.Similarly,euphemismalsobelongstoakindoffiguresofspeech,inwhichindirectnessreplacesdirectnessofstatement,usuallyinanefforttoavoidoffensivebluntnessinsomesubjectinvolvingdelicacyortaboo.Nomatterwhatdefinitionisgiven,euphemismhasbeenawidelyusedlanguage,andworksinmultiareas,suchasdeath,age,disease,physicalimperfectionandsoon.Yetlessofwhichrefertotheotherfields,suchasjobs,professions,somesocialissuesaswellassomecurrenthottopics.Euphemismshavebeenstudiedinplentyoffields,suchassocialcommunication,newspapers,advertisement,teachingfield,militaryaffairs,andpoliticalevents.Sinceitactsasakindofculturephenomenonandplaysanimportantroleincommunication,itisofgreatimportancetofocusonstudyingitspragmaticfunctions.Euphemismisintendedcommunicationmethod,soonemustpayattentiontowhatheistalkingabout,whoheistalkingwith,whereheistalkingandwhyheistalkinglikethatwhileusingeuphemism.2.FormationofEnglishEuphemism2.1PhoneticApproachEnglishisanalphabeticlanguage,whichhasprovidedamplesourcesforthecreationofeuphemism.Thefollowingwaysareusedtoachieveaeuphemisticeffect.2.1.1ClippingItmeanstoreducesomefrontorbacksyllablesofawordforevasiveness.Forexample,“Ladies”forLadies’room,“gents”forGentlemen’sRoom,and“ca”forcancer.2.1.2Initialing...Itrefersthatputtingthefirstlettersofeachphasetogethertoconstituteanexpressionofeuphemism,forexample,“WC”for“watercloset”,“VD”for“venerealdisease”,“BO”for“bodyodour”,and“AD”for“thosewhoswingbothways”.2.1.3RespellingThisapproachmeanstheformationoftheeuphemismrepeatsawordorthesyllableinaword,orpartoftheletter,forexample,“helter-skelter”.Thisapproachinformingeuphemismiscommonlyusedinthesituation.Whenachildgoestothetoilet,suchas“Pee-Pee”,whichrefersto“piss”,hecanbesaidauserofeuphemism.2.1.4BackslangandPigLatinItmeanstoreversethespellingofsometaboosorsomesensitiveterns,suchas“mur”for“rum”,“elly-bay”for“belly”,“uck-fay”for“fuck”,and“ecnop”for“ponce”.(MaQiaozheng,2007,137)2.2LexicalApproach2.2.1CompoundingItmeanstwoormorewordscompressedintoonenewwordbothorthographicallyandphonetically.Forexample,“gezunda”isaformofeuphemismfor“chamberpot”sincetheobjectusually“goesunder”thebed.2.2.1SynonymReplacementItmeanstousethewordswithsimilarmeaningtoreplacethesensitivetermsorderogatorytermssoastobemoretactful.Suchas“slimorslender”for“skinny”,“stout”or“plump”for“fat”.2.2.2NegationItmeanstoexpressthedisagreeablethingsinanoppositeway,forexample,“unwise”for“stupid”,“untruthful”for“false”.(ShaoJunhang,2007,18)2.3GrammaticalApproachTheachievementofeuphemisticeffectactuallydependsonapsychological“distance”.Peoplethinkthelinguisticsignsandtheobjectshaveakindofequivalentrelations,andtaboo...wordshavebeenbannedbecausepeopleequalthemtothethingstheyreferto.Toavoidthedirectassociation,theradicalmethodistoincreasethedistancebetweenthetwo.Thepasttenseistoshowthedistance,includingthedistanceoftheanti-clockwisetimeaswellasthepsychologicaldistance.2.3.1TheUseofPastTenseUsingthepasttensecandragpeople’swillingnessbackwards,whichmakespeoplefeelthatthoseunacceptablethingsorfaceinjuryhavebeenthepast,thuscreatingacertaindegreeofpsychologicaldistancetoachieveeuphemismeffects.2.3.2TheUseofProgressiveTenseTheprogressivetenseemphasizethetemporarymovements.Usingitintheeuphemismmakespeoplefeelthatitisonlyanimmaturethoughtofthespeaker,andthelistenercanrejectitwithoutworryingabouthurtingother’sface.2.3.3TheUseofPassiveVoiceInthepassivevoice,theobjectiveisthesubjectofthesentence,soitfocusesmoreontheobjectivityofthingsandavoidsreferringthesubjectsoastohelppeoplespeaktactfullyandachieveeuphemisticeffect.3.ClassificationsofEuphemisminDifferentOccasions3.1TalkingAboutDeathContemporaryeuphemismsfordeathtendtobequitecolorful,andsomeonewhohasdiedissaidtohavepassedaway,passedon,bitethebigone,boughtthefarm,croaked,givenuptheghost,kickedthebucket,gonesouth,titsup,shuffledoffthismortalcoil,orassumedroomtemperature.Whenburied,theymaybesaidtobepushingupdaisies,sleepingwiththefishesortakingadirtnap.Therearehundredsofsuchexpressionsinuse.Forexample,peopleuse“gotosleepforever”topolitelydescribeoneindeath.Besides,inreligionfields,peopleareinclinedtothefollowingexpressions:toreturntothedust;topaythedebtofnature;tobecalledtoGod;tobe...withGod;togotothewayofallflesh.Inourhabituallife,weoftenusebenolongerwithus,breathedhislast,jointhemajority.3.2TalkingAboutAgeIneasternculture,itwouldbetakenasagoodqualitytopaytheagedoneshomage.Theonesintheiragedyearsareconsideredaswhatwithrichexperiencesandwits.However,inwesterncountries,ifapersonisgraduallygoingintohisoldage,inpossibility,hemightbeignored.Andtherewilllittlecontributionmadebythem.Therefore,theagedpeopleareoftenavoidedbeingcalledasoldpeople,buttheyuse“theelderly,theseniorcitizens,orthedi