浅析英语委婉语的社会功能.docVIP

【标题】????????????????浅析英语委婉语的社会功能 【作者】刘春艳 【关键词】 【指导老师】廖东红 杨 波 【专业】英语 【正文】I. IntroductionThe word?“euphemism” comes from the Greek?“eu” meaning?“good” and?“pheme” meaning?“saying” or?“speech”, and thus the literal meaning of?“euphemism” is?“good speech”,?“words of good omen”,?“the gilded words”, or?“cosmetic words”. Basically, a euphemism is usually a polite word to say something which is embarrassing or unpleasant. Euphemism is widely used in daily life to replace another word or phrase which is thought of as too direct or rude.???? Euphemism, for a long time, has been discussed by many scholars such as Rawson and Leech; their study has been mainly restricted in three areas: rhetoric, semantics and formation. What’s more, they also paid more attention to the definition, formation and the classification from different perspectives.?It is generally agreed that euphemism is a universal linguistic phenomenon, which is widely used no matter in which era or which culture. From the moment it is coined, it plays an important role in people’s daily communication. Generally speaking, euphemism is used to create harmony and make conversations pleasant and smooth. They are used to conceal some unpleasant topics, or to understate some facts that would be likely to cause bad reactions. As English learners, we should learn to use them properly. The present paper attempts to illustrate the definitions of English euphemism, have an overview of researches of English euphemism, and state its social functions.II. Relevant Theories of English EuphemismAs euphemism has been studied by many scholars from many perspectives, different people have different opinions on euphemism’s definition. The achievements of euphemism have been conspicuous, which has been examined and discussed by many scholars.?A. The Definition of English Euphemism???? No doubt, euphemism is widely and frequently used as a figure of speech. As a hot research issue in the field of linguistics, it needs