Abstract

As an alternative expression, euphemism plays a vital role in the social life, especially with the advent of the information age; news became one of the important ways in which people get information. How to realize the value of euphemism in news can help readers understand and grasp the news content well. This article analyzes five functions of euphemism through a large number of English News－avoiding the use of taboo, avoiding vulgar words, being polite, covering problems and expressing praise. The study on English euphemism in news can not only improve the appreciation of euphemism, but also help the readers to accurately grasp the news content.

Key words: News language, euphemism, Functions of euphemism


摘 要

委婉语作为一种替代表达语言，在社会生活中起着至关重要的作用，尤其是随着信息时代的到来，新闻成为了人们获取信息的重要途径之一。如何在新闻语言中体现委婉语的使用价值，对于读者对新闻内容的理解以及掌握具有重要的意义。本文分别从避讳，避俗，礼貌，掩饰以及褒扬五种语用功能出发，通过对大量英语新闻实例的系统分析，详细的阐述了这几种功能在英语新闻语言中的体现。对英语新闻报刊中委婉语的研究，不仅有利于提高对委婉语的鉴赏能力，而且也有助于读者对新闻内容的准确把握。

关键词：新闻语言； 委婉语； 委婉语的语用功能

1. Introduction
1.1 News language
According to different criteria of classification, news reports are basically divided into the following categories, firstly, according to the geographical range where news takes place, news reports can be classified into international news and national news; secondly, according to the nature of news, there are political news, business news, cultural news, entertainment news, sports news, science news, social news, violence and crime news, obituary news, environment news and so on; thirdly, in accordance with the characteristics of news, we have event news and non-event news, singularity news and complicated news, dynamic news and static news, ontology news and reaction of news; fourthly, in accordance with sub-themes of news, news reports have types such as typical reports, comprehensive reports, review reports and critical reports; finally, in conformity to the means of news dissemination, news reports includes oral news, word news, radio news and TV news.