ABSTRACT

Euphemism is a common phenomenon in the process of language. It is not only a social linguistic phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon. No matter in foreign communication or in daily life, we have to do the verbal communication. Different cultural backgrounds have different social taboo. We must learn how to use euphemism to avoid embarrassing or unpleasant because of the different certain habits or customs. So this article analyzes from the point of the linguistics and attempts through specific examples to explore the communicative function of English Euphemism in specific language environment. The euphemism is a form of expression in all cultures. Different social backgrounds, different cultures and histories will produce different euphemism. We can only cognize euphemism in different contexts, and use it in different circumstances to adjust the degree of politeness. We can minimize the damage for each other and achieve the purposes of successful communication. Euphemism reflects a variety of social psychology, which also reflects the euphemism of various social communicative functions. As a cultural phenomenon, it is a reflection of the values and cultural traditions of different countries. Therefore, understanding of the euphemism has a great significance for familiar with the western culture and the realization of intercultural communication.

Key Words：Euphemism; Culture; Communication; Difference

摘要

委婉语是人类使用语言过程中的一种普遍现象。它是一个社会语言发展的标志,是一种文化的体现方式。在社会交流发展过程中，我们只有通过语言交流才能进行沟通发展。由于不同的生活环境与文化环境具有不同的语言表达方式，我们只有了解不同社会环境下的文化风俗才能避免日常交流中所遇到的尴尬。所以本文从语言学的角度，探究在各种的语言环境下英语委婉语的使用方式。委婉语是各种文化中都存在的一种表达形式。不同的社会背景、不同的历史文化会产生不同的委婉语。只有了解委婉语在各种背景、各种环境下的具体运用方法，才能成功地与他人进行交流。不同的委婉语反映出各个国家不同的价值观念和文化传统，因此了解委婉语对于熟悉中西方文化、实现跨文化交际有着重要的意义。

关键词：委婉语，文化，交际，差异

Introduction
1.1 Background
Euphemism is closely related to taboo. In the West, the use of euphemistic expressions dated back to the 7th century when the Anglo-Saxons were Christianized. They believed that words had magic power and speaking the name of a God would evoke the divinity whose power then had to be confronted. In the early 1580s, George Blunt created the word “euphemism” and defined it as “a good or favorable interpretation of a bad word” (Neaman and Silver, 1983:67). In 1985, D. J. Enright published another important book Fair of Speech, the Uses of Euphemisms, which is a collection of many essays on this topic (D. J. Enright, 1985:36). In Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language used as a shield & weapon.( Allan,k.et al.1991:77) Allan and Burridge gave an expository account of the kinds of expressions people use for two quite different purposes: euphemism and dysphemism. In 1995, The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English put that euphemism is a polite word or expression that you use instead of a more direct one to avoid shocking or upsetting others.
In China, ancient Chinese scholars studied euphemism mainly from two angles: avoidance of taboos and folklore. QianDaxin, a scholar in Qing Dynasty, made a systematic study of avoidance of taboos. Modern scholars like Chen Wang Dao studied euphemism and taboo from the angle of rhetoric and considered them as figures of speech(陈望道，1985:23). In his Sociolinguistics, (Chen Yuan,1983:39) devoted a whole chapter to the study and analysis of euphemism, which not only discussed the historical and social background of euphemism, but also revealed the nature of this social phenomenon, and explored taboo words from sociolinguistic point of view
In a word, euphemism can be defined as the use of other, usually less exact but milder or less blunt, words or phrases in place of words required by truth or accuracy.