Euphemism Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

We do not have a copy of the exact text published by Oxford University Press, New York in 1991, but this version is very similar. The flaws are mostly very obvious.

The functional scope of interjection is defined by its behaviour as shown on several metabasis, e.g. the transcategorization phenomena involving the emotive use of noun or verbal phrases as «improper» interjections. In other words,... more

The functional scope of interjection is defined by its behaviour as shown on
several metabasis, e.g. the transcategorization phenomena involving the emotive use
of noun or verbal phrases as «improper» interjections. In other words, interjection
will be defined based on the features which fade away when a verb such as venga,
a noun like demoño or adjectives such as claro are used as interjections. Or, taking
the opposite view, based on the features added to a phrase such as Vaya… when
used as an expressive adjectival phrase ¡Vaya!, la suegra → ¡Vaya suegra! This process
is nothing but the immobilization of every single aspect (morphological, syntactic
and semantic) within such phrases. Interjections are, therefore, phrases taking part
of an exclamatory utterance, extrasentential (since they trigger no dependencies at
sentential level), amorphematic (for they present no morphological variation, nor
can they be morphologically referred to), and semantically instructional, having no
possibility of conceptual representation. This approach allows us to tackle the description
of a set of units which lie halfway between several categories (exclamatory
utterance, performative message, exclamation, affective statements, conversational
markers, euphemism, dysphemism, etc.) and consider whether to include or exclude
them from the interjections paradigm.

Tabus sind Ausdruck des kulturellen Entwicklungsstandes und Selbstverständnisses einer Gesellschaft und reflektieren somit deren Mentalität und Wahrnehmung der Realität. Speziell sprachliche Tabus sind über Euphemismen greifbar, die eine... more

Tabus sind Ausdruck des kulturellen Entwicklungsstandes und Selbstverständnisses einer Gesellschaft und reflektieren somit deren Mentalität und Wahrnehmung der Realität. Speziell sprachliche Tabus sind über Euphemismen greifbar, die eine optimale Grundlage für entsprechende Interpretationen darstellen. Auf diesem Hintergrund gilt der Band französischen und italienischen Euphemismen, wie sie entsprechend dem Sprachverständnis der Lexikographen zweier maßgebender Wörterbücher als solche ausgewiesen sind und sich bei umsichtiger Auswertung besonders gut für kulturvergleichende Betrachtungen eignen. Ausgehend von einer quantitativen und qualitativen Klassifizierung in Bezug auf formale und semantische Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede werden die Euphemismen in ihrer Raison d'être kultur- und mentalitätshistorisch erklärt und motivgeschichtlich in Bereichen verankert, die vom Magisch-Religiösen über das Ethisch-Ästhetische und Politisch-Korrekte bis hin zur „Ethik ohne“ reichen. Dabei wird das Phänomen des Euphemismus in seinen Ursachen, Motiven und Funktionen getrennt betrachtet und einer Gesamtinterpretation zugeführt.

The Final Qualifying Work (WRC) discusses phraseological units that perform a euphemistic function in a bribe situation on the material of Russian and Arabic languages. Proceeding from the contextual use in the verbal situation of a... more

The Final Qualifying Work (WRC) discusses phraseological units that perform a euphemistic function in a bribe situation on the material of Russian and Arabic languages. Proceeding from the contextual use in the verbal situation of a bribe, the euphemistic meaning of phraseological stable expressions is justified, their functional and pragmatic potential is considered, taking into account the national-cultural marking. At the same time, a linguistic and cultural commentary of these units is created in the WRC, which consists in the cultural interpretation of their word-components that acquire an appraisal value on the basis of associative symbols, models and perception stereotypes that exist in the common world picture for each of the two societies. On the Basis of the analysis of the phraseological euphemisms of Russian and Arabic, it is shown that the spiritual and moral motives of the people's life experience are reflected in the language and determine the ethical view and the phenomena of life. Idiomatic and stable expressions successfully function in those contexts with implicit information, where it is a question of negative, socially condemned, phenomena of reality. It is stressed that the semantics and pragmatics of phraseological units-euphemisms derive their strength not only from the linguistic but also from the social and cultural background, which plays an important role in evaluating the phenomenon of bribery.

Culture is defined as a complex whole in which belief, knowledge, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities acquired by people as members of society are included. The British expelling from the Indian subcontinent was not the... more

Culture is defined as a complex whole in which belief, knowledge, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities acquired by people as members of society are included. The British expelling from the Indian subcontinent was not the slightest bit disguised that the traditions they presented would blur away. This is particularly valid among the well-off, who have simple access to TV and different types of electronic media, Western items, and sustenance. Westernization has been a piece of the modernization procedure, which in no sense can be viewed as destructive. Then again, it is essential to look at the West's effect since, in the event that we are not watchful, it could affect our general public, and lead to the interruption of social qualities and traditions.

This article looks at euphemisms and folk beliefs in the semantic field of animals in traditional Mongolian culture, among them wolf, bear, snake, fox and marmot. Sources of the article include materials collected by the authors during... more

This article looks at euphemisms and folk beliefs in the semantic field of animals in traditional Mongolian culture, among them wolf, bear, snake, fox and marmot. Sources of the article include materials collected by the authors during annual fieldwork in different parts of Mongolia. We would like to propose a series of papers devoted to the studying of euphemisms and word taboo in Mongolian language and culture, and this article is intended to start a number of publications.

Abstract Euphemism is a common language phenomenon used to replace a direct, offensive, annoying, and prohibited word or expression with a roundabout, inoffensive, pleasant, and acceptable one so as to save both the speaker’s and hearer’s... more

Abstract
Euphemism is a common language phenomenon used to replace
a direct, offensive, annoying, and prohibited word or expression
with a roundabout, inoffensive, pleasant, and acceptable one
so as to save both the speaker’s and hearer’s face or third party
from any loss.
Euphemism serves many functions; it may be used to soften the
taboos (sex, religion, death, disease, pregnancy, and excrement), to
deceive people (this is common in political situations), to show politeness,
humour, solidarity and respect. In Shakespeare's Measure
for Measure, these functions and many others are taken into account.
This study attempts to achieve the following aims: (i) finding a
model of pragmatic analysis of euphemism for Measure for Measure,
(ii) identifying what euphemistic expressions used in this play,
(iii) illustrating how context helps understand the euphemistic
expressions in the play, (iv) knowing the reason(s) behind characters'
infringement of Grice’s Cooperative Principle’s conversational
maxims and (v) showing how the subjects of Measure for Measure
such as sex, religion, death, disease, pregnancy, and excrement are
mirrored through the employment of euphemism. The following
hypotheses have been suggested:
(1) the interpretation of euphemism in Measure for Measure
greatly relies on context, (2) the characters of the play use euphemism
deliberately, (3) often euphemism serves more than one function
in one utterance and (4) the subjects of sex and pregnancy are
granted great interest in Measure for Measure than others (disease,
religion, death, excrement).
The conclusions of the research validate the above hypotheses

Both "je dis ça, je dis rien" and "(I’m) just saying" are known as “annoying phrases” in their respective languages, seemingly because of their being commonly overused in oral discourse. For this reason, they are usually assimilated to... more

Both "je dis ça, je dis rien" and "(I’m) just saying" are known as “annoying phrases” in their respective languages, seemingly because of their being commonly overused in oral discourse. For this reason, they are usually assimilated to “gap fillers.” However, some linguists demonstrated how those supposedly “gap fillers” turned out to be significantly involved in the building of discourse coherence – “how speakers and hearers jointly integrate forms, meanings, and actions to make overall sense out of what is said” (Schiffrin, 1987). Although discourse markers have been dealt with quite extensively in the recent Francophone and Anglophone literatures, the two formulaic expressions have to date received only little attention.

Lucrarea de faţă încercă să stabilească raporturile între principalele trei tipuri de cuvinte (disfemisme, eufemisme şi ortoepisme), modurile în care acestea se fomează şi îşi modifică valenţele, în funcţie de contexul social în care sunt... more

Lucrarea de faţă încercă să stabilească raporturile între principalele trei tipuri de cuvinte (disfemisme, eufemisme şi ortoepisme), modurile în care acestea se fomează şi îşi modifică valenţele, în funcţie de contexul social în care sunt folosite. VConcentrarea atenției are loc mai ales asupra termenilor licenţioşi. Lucrarea încercă să clarifice tabuul lingvistic şi cenzura ca principalii factori care justifică necesitatea existenţei acestor categorii de termeni.

The present paper examines pronouns, modal auxiliaries, metaphors, and euphemisms in certain 9/11 and warfare speeches delivered by the last two American Presidents, George Bush and Barack Obama, from 2001 to 2013. The aim of the paper is... more

The present paper examines pronouns, modal auxiliaries, metaphors, and euphemisms in certain 9/11 and warfare speeches delivered by the last two American Presidents, George Bush and Barack Obama, from 2001 to 2013. The aim of the paper is to raise awareness about the manipulative use of language in political speeches, and by applying Corpus Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis, the paper quantitatively and qualitatively approaches the analysis of salient pronouns, modal auxiliaries, metaphors and euphemisms, examining their frequencies, patterns and implications of manipulative use. More precisely, the paper tries to discover correlations between the above items, suggest the purpose of their manipulative usages, and implies which President prefers which manipulative usage more. Finally, the paper suggests how the Presidents may be perceived by the public. As for the findings of the present study, they reveal a correlation between pronouns and modals on one hand, and metaphors and euphemisms on the other. The above-mentioned items are used for a couple of manipulative purposes: positive self and negative other-presentation, “face” protection, intimidation, and justification of war. Bush seems to favour the last three usages, while Obama is predominantly focused on “face” protection and positive self-presentation. As far as the perception of the public is concerned, the findings suggest that Bush may be perceived as more direct, daring, formal and personal, while Obama may be perceived as more social, polite, and professional. Basically, the findings suggest that Bush deals more with foreign policy, while Obama is focused on domestic policy. This indicates that the findings may have been influenced by Obama’s senatorship speeches on warfare, which make up half of the Obama-corpus, and were introduced to match the size of the Bush-corpus. Thus, future research including the latest, and only presidential speeches of President Obama may yield different results.

Această lucrare prezintă unele eufemisme ratate ale limbii române de azi. Fiind prezent în toate limbile pentru a aborda subiecte tabu, eufemismul este o expresie care este mai puţin ofensatoare pentru ascultător decât cuvântul sau fraza... more

Această lucrare prezintă unele eufemisme ratate ale limbii române de azi. Fiind prezent în toate limbile pentru a aborda subiecte tabu, eufemismul este o expresie care este mai puţin ofensatoare pentru ascultător decât cuvântul sau fraza pe care o înlocuieşte.

This research is a contrastive study of euphemism strategies in both Arab and British media discourse with the purpose of discovering the similarities and differences between Arab and British sporting commentators when... more

This research is a contrastive study of euphemism strategies in both Arab and British media discourse with the purpose of discovering the similarities and differences between Arab and British sporting commentators when using euphemistic expressions in their commentaries on football matches. The study is an attempt to investigate the motives that force both Arab and British sporting commentators to use such euphemistic strategies. This study also tries to investigate the most frequent strategies of euphemism used by both Arab and British commentators. It also tries to discover the most frequent topics in which the Arab and British commentators use euphemism strategies in order to soften the meaning. Moreover, this study attempts to investigate to what extent the social context governs the usage of certain strategies. As for the data, the researcher collected 20 matches with Arabic commentary from different channels and 20 matches with English commentary from different channels. These matches are obtained and downloaded from www.youtube.com. Although the data of each sample are analyzed separately, the procedures followed were identical. Data analysis is based on the 26 euphemistic strategies. The two different samples are analyzed to find which of the 26 euphemistic strategies are used; and which of these are more frequent than others. A comparison is conducted between the two sets of data to find out the aspects of similarities and differences between them. Finally, a qualitative analysis is conducted to explain and investigate these differences and similarities from a cultural perspective. The findings of the study revealed that both Arabic and British Commentators are euphemism oriented, each in his own way. Though they have some things in common, they differ in their use of some certain euphemistic strategies. They also use euphemism a lot in such topic as death and hard times. As for the differences between Arabic and British commentators, Arabic commentators tend to use euphemism more often than British ones. Moreover, the results show that Arab commentators tend to use “Overstatement”, “Particularization”, “Metaphor”, and “Implication”. In contrast, British commentators tend to use “Synonyms”, “Jargon”, and “Understatement” respectively.
Key words: Figurative Language, Euphemism, Media Discourse, Euphemistic Strategies, Death.

El presente trabajo pretende indagar en cómo el lenguaje se pone a la disposición de los oradores públicos (fundamentalmente, políticos y periodistas) para trasladar su mensaje ideológico. En particular, surge de la preocupación en torno... more

El presente trabajo pretende indagar en cómo el lenguaje se pone a la disposición de los oradores públicos (fundamentalmente, políticos y periodistas) para trasladar su mensaje ideológico. En particular, surge de la preocupación en torno al uso manipulador de las palabras en los géneros informativos (sobre todo, la noticia) para alterar la interpretación de los ciudadanos conforme a los intereses y creencias del redactor de la información.

The composer uses two different verbs to describe the activities taking place in Judges 16:25, though they are often considered simply variant spellings of the same verb. But is his choice of spelling arbitrary, or are there reasons... more

The composer uses two different verbs to describe the activities taking place in Judges 16:25, though they are often considered simply variant spellings of the same verb. But is his choice of spelling arbitrary, or are there reasons motivating his distinction? These two verbs are related by a sibilant phoneme variation (ש/ׂצ), but their meanings are rarely, if ever, distinguished. In fact, most contemporary English translations assign the same (or similar) meaning to both verbs. But is the difference between them merely orthographic, or is it also semantic? Careful
discussion on this question is scant in the literature. For this reason, it is incumbent on interpreters to engage in careful lexical study. I will demonstrate through synchronic analysis that there is semantic differentiation between these two related roots. I will then explore how a phoneme shift took place (from צ to ש), and how certain archaic
usages are preserved in the צ-form. Such analysis requires cataloguing all occurrences of these roots and identifying their nuances. Once these nuances are synchronically established, one is better prepared to explain and translate Judges 16:25.

This study is to determine the existence of euphemism in the Iban language, in Kampung Lebor, Serian, Sarawak based on the theories by Allan & Burridge (1991). The main objective is to identify the euphemistic expressions in the Iban... more

This study is to determine the existence of euphemism in the Iban language, in Kampung Lebor, Serian, Sarawak based on the theories by Allan & Burridge (1991). The main objective is to identify the euphemistic expressions in the Iban language. The methods used are interviews and questionnaires involving a man and a woman aged 50 and above, who speaks fluent Iban. The findings show that there were nine types of euphemism in the Kampung Lebor Iban community. They include; first, body parts, second, sex, third, gender involving masculinity and femininity, fourth, anger, fifth, hate, sixth, illnesses, seventh, death, eight, fear-oriented by animals and spirits, and finally, ninth, God or religion. The main factor in the usage of euphemistic expressions in the Iban community in Kampung Lebor is caused by the influence of customs and beliefs, which were used and passed down for generations. Pengenalan Kajian mengenai suku etnik dan bahasa Iban telah banyak dijalankan dalam pelbagai perspektif daripada sarjana dalam negara mahupun di luar negara. Menurut Harishon Radzi & Phylisia David (2012), kajian berkenaan masyarakat Iban telah dilakukan sejak awal tahun 1900 contohnya, penerbitan

After a brief review of the use of euphemisms in cultural history, we discuss the appropriateness of the labelling of euphemisms in three monolingual Spanish dictionaries. In our comparison, we first analyze whether the dictionaries'... more

After a brief review of the use of euphemisms in cultural history, we discuss the appropriateness of the labelling of euphemisms in three monolingual Spanish dictionaries. In our comparison, we first analyze whether the dictionaries' theoretical assumptions correspond to their practical applications and then go on to consider the consistency of the labelling in each dictionary and the reliability of the distinction between historical and contemporary euphemisms. Subsequently, we examine the quantity of dictionary-marked euphemisms in comparison with the quantity of marked euphemisms in everyday speech. Finally, we compare certain semantic fields in terms of their lexicographical representation with the semantic fields actually affected by the use of euphemisms.

After explaining why, after dealing with post-modernist confusions about truth in various books and articles from the mid-1990s to, most recently, 2014 (§1), Haack returns to the topic of truth, she begins (§2) with some thoughts about... more

After explaining why, after dealing with post-modernist confusions about truth in various books and articles from the mid-1990s to, most recently, 2014 (§1), Haack returns to the topic of truth, she begins (§2) with some thoughts about the claim that concern for truth is on the decline, and perhaps at a new low; a claim that, sadly, may well be true. Then (§3) she looks at some of the many forms that carelessness with the truth may take, and shows that, so far from revealing that the concept of truth is seriously problematic or that there is no such thing as objective truth, it simply makes no sense to say that lies, half-truths, etc., are ubiquitous unless there is such a thing as truth, and a legitimate truth-concept. After that, (§4) she argues that, of course, there is such a thing as objective truth, and a robust truth-concept. And finally, (§5) she suggests some ways to fight against the rising tide of unconcern for truth—and gives her answer to the (trick) question in her subtitle.

Euphemism is one of the most important terms that must be dealt by translators and linguists. This research aims to examine, explain, interpret and analyze some aspects of the euphemism in the Holy Quran. This study deals with analyzing... more

Euphemism is one of the most important terms that must be dealt by translators and linguists. This research aims to examine, explain, interpret and analyze some aspects of the euphemism in the Holy Quran. This study deals with analyzing the interpreting or translation of euphemism expressions in the Holy Quran that has been neglected from researchers. The aim of this research is to make study that makes a comparison between the translations of the Holy Quran by "Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthal" and "Dr. Muhammad Taqȋ-ud-Dȋn Al-Hilȃlȋ and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khȃn." This study clarifies which translation ignores euphemism and which does not. Also, clarifies the explanation of euphemism according to Ibn-Katheer. This study tackles some aspects of Euphemism and Taboo in different domains by examining the Holy verses, which included Euphemism. This study reveals that euphemism is an evident phenomenon in the Holy Quran and that the process of translating it into English is generally problematic for reasons such as linguistic and culture diversity.

The article deals with the peculiarities of precedential statements «Merde!», an equivalent euphemism «mot de Cambronne» and «La garde meurt mais ne se rend pas», attributed to General Pierre Cambronne Napoleonic Guard. We analyze the... more

The article deals with the peculiarities of precedential statements «Merde!», an equivalent euphemism «mot de Cambronne» and «La garde meurt mais ne se rend pas», attributed to General Pierre Cambronne Napoleonic Guard. We analyze the specific character of their perception by the French national consciousness. The transformational models of statements donor are identified.

Folk culture considers sexual intercourse unclean and dangerous and there-fore applies many restrictions to it. Usually coitus is referred to with euphe-misms and other substitutes that can be both neutral and expressive, or even... more

Folk culture considers sexual intercourse unclean and dangerous and there-fore applies many restrictions to it. Usually coitus is referred to with euphe-misms and other substitutes that can be both neutral and expressive, or even humorous. Symbols of coitus in popular culture are numerous and di-verse. Coitus is one of the most important objects of allegory among different types of human activity. In traditional popular culture it corresponds to a wide paradigm of behavioural symbols. The paradigm is built on the basis of motivating indicators reflecting the external properties of action: joining to-gether, mobility, insertion, rhythm and repetitive action, oscillation, friction at close contact, etc. The basis of the symbolic meanings attributed to sexual intercourse as a means of magic of traditional popular culture is the similar-ity of physical sexual contact to social contacts (marriage, ritual relations), as well as metaphorical extrapolation of its natural result (conception ...

Antiquorum Romanorum opera plena sunt obscenitatis, quae tamen obscenitas in lexicis Latino-Polonis minime apparet - vocabula erotica et obscena pessime explanantur aut omnino omittuntur. Etiam Poloni interpretes Catulli, Martialis,... more

Antiquorum Romanorum opera plena sunt obscenitatis, quae tamen obscenitas in lexicis Latino-Polonis minime apparet - vocabula erotica et obscena pessime explanantur aut omnino omittuntur. Etiam Poloni interpretes Catulli, Martialis, Petronii nec non ceterorum auctorum Latinorum obscenitate abstinent aut ea solum interpretanda eligentes, quibus obscenitas absit, aut eo modo interpretant, ut nullo modo obscenitas appareat. Hac de causa multo differt vera antiquitatis imago ab illa, quae interpretationum lectoribus proicitur. Complura ergo opera Latina Polonice (et melius quidem) adhuc interpretanda manent.

This article provides a pragmatic interpretation of the effects of euphemistic lexical choices made in public discourse in reference to taboo topics. It contributes to the cognitive pragmatic theory of proximization by considering how... more

This article provides a pragmatic interpretation of the effects of euphemistic lexical choices made in public discourse in reference to taboo topics. It contributes to the cognitive pragmatic theory of proximization by considering how euphemisms weaken the potentially negative effect of specific linguistic representations or -- more broadly -- conceptualizations of forbidden reality, on the recipients. Doing so, such expressions extend the discourse space between the unpleasant phenomenon and the recipients’ deictic centre. Focusing on the military euphemism blue-on-blue and its use in various media, the paper interprets this expression as a strategy of discursive distanciation from the unwelcome consequences of military action. The data indicate that distanciation involves several levels of grammatical and structural transformations that obliterate the potentially negative impact by veiling the congruent, i.e. the most direct, verbalization of the event with an increasingly complex series of semantically opaque realizations.

Not all topics can be treated in the same way. Some are too intimate or thorny to be discussed without precautions in our use of language. One of these topics is undoubtedly death, a timeless and placeless taboo in which psychological,... more

Not all topics can be treated in the same way. Some are too intimate or thorny to be discussed without precautions in our use of language. One of these topics is undoubtedly death, a timeless and placeless taboo in which psychological, religious, and social interdictions are embodied. The aim of this paper is to explore the linguistic devices Akkadians used to tone down the taboo and cope with death. To address the issue, written sources, belonging to different genres and time periods, are utilized.

La eutanasia ha sido, desde los años 80 del siglo XX, objeto de debate en la opinión pública. En 1998, durante la sexta legislatura de las Cortes Españolas, se creó en el Senado una Comisión especial de estudio sobre la eutanasia, que se... more

La eutanasia ha sido, desde los años 80 del siglo XX, objeto de debate en la opinión pública. En 1998, durante la sexta legislatura de las Cortes Españolas, se creó en el Senado una Comisión especial de estudio sobre la eutanasia, que se constituyó el 17 de marzo de ese año y finalizó sus trabajos el 18 de enero de 2000. El presente estudio, tras un examen de las definiciones de eutanasia en algunos diccionarios de la lengua, aborda el análisis del léxico empleado, y de su función argumentativa, en el discurso a favor y en contra de la eutanasia. Para ello se basa en el corpus lingüístico constituido por dos intervenciones de sendos informantes, tal como han quedado registradas en el Diario de sesiones de la citada comisión del Senado.