毕业论文文献综述毕论文文献综述.doc

河北科技师范学院 本科毕业论文文献综述 委婉语的构造原则和构成方式初探 （黑体二号居中，标题行间距为32磅） 院（系、部）名 称 ： 专 业 名 称： 学 生 姓 名： 学 生 学 号： 指 导 教 师： 年 月 日 河北科技师范学院教务处制A General Overview of the Studies on Euphemism （Arial 3号加粗，居中，单倍行距，段前24磅，段后18磅） As a popular rhetorical device, euphemism is widely employed in kinds of discourse and it is deeply rooted in people’s social life. That is why Rawson (1981) affirms “Euphemisms are embedded so deeply in our language that few of us, even those who pride themselves on being plain-spoken, ever get through a day without using them” (p.3). The study of euphemisms is of great importance as it can ….. The research of euphemisms has a long history ……………..And there have accumulated a large literature. Many scholars have attempted to define its nature or addressed its characteristics, functions, etc. from different perspectives. This paper is to give a general overview of the previous studies. 1 The definition of euphemism The word euphemism comes from Greek; the prefix “eu-“ means good and the stem “phemism” means speech; the whole word’ s literal meaning is word of good omen. In the early 1580s, the British writer George Blunt first created the word euphemism and defined it as ‘a good or favorable interpretation of a bad word’ (Shu, 1995：17). Concerning the definition of euphemisms, there are a lot of versions. In Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (1973) the definition reads “substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.” In The New Edition of the Oxford Concise Dictionary (1976) the definition reads “substitution of mild or vague or round-about expression for harsh or direct one; expression thus substituted.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………