摘  要          
      
本文的主要目的在于通过对中英两国委婉语的文化内涵以及交际功能的研究正确运用那些容易令人产生尴尬、感到不快、觉得伤感的词语。通过对中英两国不同文化内涵的深入了解达到良好的交际效果。文章根据理论先导和对比方法对中英委婉语进行研究，从而介绍了中英委婉语不同的文化内涵。同时，本文所探讨的交际功能旨在了解委婉语，进一步促进在我们的日常生活中正确使用委婉语。本文共分为五个章节。导论部分是有关中英委婉语研究的背景研究及其重要性，在对比分析中英委婉语在其文化内涵的相似点以及不同点，作者提出对委婉语定义的阐述。作者讨论了中英委婉语的交际功能，如：避讳功能，掩饰功能，美誉功能等。最后作者得出了正确使用委婉语有其重要性以及必要性的结论。

关键词：中英委婉语；文化内涵和差异；交际功能

Abstract

The study was undertaken to make study of the cultural connotation and communicative function of Chinese and American euphemism so that we can use those words correctly which may cause the embarrassment, unhappy, sad when communication. Only with a deep understanding of the different cultural connotations can we achieve good effect in communication. With the theoretical forerunner and comparative research into the Chinese and American euphemism, the paper presents the characteristics and cultural connotation of them. Also, it explore into the communicative function, aiming to enable the correct usage of euphemism, and to promote the improvement real communication in our daily life. The paper is composed of five parts. The introductory part is about the background, significance. On the basis of comparative analysis of the similarity and the difference cultural connotation of Chinese and American euphemism, the writer provides clarification of definition of euphemism. Furthermore, the writer discusses the communicative functions of Chinese and English Euphemism： function to hide， function to avoid vulgar，function to show reputation，to name a few. Finally, the writer draws the conclusion that it is significant and essential to use the euphemism in a correct way.

Key words: Chinese and American euphemism; cultural connotation and difference; communicative functions

1 Introduction
Euphemism is interpreted as one way in which a society expressed its disagreement on some kinds of behavior thought to be harmful to its members, for it violates a moral code. And people doing something against it will be punished seriously and people adapt to these rules will benefit a lot from them. This is the reason why some words are forbidden and others are produced.
Every country has their distinctive specificity and national characters; therefore, their languages and cultures are totally different with each other. It is the different culture that determines the scope and target person when they choose to use the euphemism. Therefore we can infer that using the different means of expression to express their feelings is the similarity between different cultures. So my study was undertaken to make study of the cultural connotation and communicative function of Chinese and American euphemism so that we can use those words correctly which may cause the embarrassment, unhappy, sad when communication. Only with a deep understanding of the different cultural connotations can we achieve good effect in communication.