英汉委婉语对比研究

A Comparative Study of Euphemism in English and Chinese

摘要：伴随着世界全球化的不断扩大，人与人之间的交流越来越频繁，人与人之间的交流也越来越趋向文明化，使得在跨文化交际中委婉语的使用范围也越来越广泛。委婉语起源于禁忌语，人们使用委婉语出于三种心理因素，即避讳功能、礼貌功能和掩饰功能。中英委婉语从文化内涵的角度来看有着相同与不同之处。在表达死亡，疾病和一些令人不愉快的生理现象时，人们都会使用模糊、间接甚至美化了的委婉语。然而，语言是文化的载体，中国和英语国家截然不同的文化内涵致使委婉语在使用上也是大相径庭，尤其是在宗教信仰、等级观念、传统和伦理方面。

关键词：研究；委婉语；英语；汉语

Abstract: As the globalization of world expands unceasingly and the interpersonal communication becomes more frequent and more civilized, the use of euphemism has become more and more extensive in cross-culture communication. Euphemism originated from language taboo, people use euphemism for three kinds of psychological factors, avoiding taboos, showing politeness and disguising. There are similarities and differences between Chinese and English euphemisms from the perspective of cultural connotation. When expressing death, disease and some unpleasant physiological phenomena, both languages will be expressed in vague, indirect, or even beautified euphemisms. However, since language is the carrier of culture, the very different cultural connotations between China and English countries make the use of euphemisms very different, especially in religious belief, class consciousness and ethics. 

Key Words: study; euphemism; English; Chinese