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  3. Short sharp terms make big points clear. But people often prefer to soften their speech with euphemism: a mixture of abstraction

Short sharp terms make big points clear. But people often prefer to soften their speech with euphemism: a mixture of abstraction

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问题     Short sharp terms make big points clear. But people often prefer to soften their speech with euphemism: a mixture of abstraction, metaphor, slang and understatement that offers protection against the offensive, harsh or blunt. In 1945, in one of history’s greatest euphemisms, Emperor Hirohito informed his subjects of their country’s unconditional surrender with the words, "The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage."
    Euphemisms range promiscuously, from diplomacy ("the minister is indisposed", meaning he won’t be coming) to the bedroom (a grande horizontale in France is a notable courtesan). But it is possible to attempt a euphemistic taxonomy. One way to categorise them is ethical. In "Politics and the English Language", George Orwell wrote that obfuscatory political language is designed "to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable". Some euphemisms do distort and mislead; but some are motivated by kindness. Another way to typify them is by theme. A third—and a useful way to begin—is by nationality. A euphemism is a kind of lie, and the lies peoples and countries tell themselves are revealing.
    American euphemisms are in a class of their own, principally because they seem to involve words that few would find offensive to start with, replaced by phrases that are meaninglessly ambiguous: bathroom tissue for lavatory paper, dental appliances for false teeth, previously owned rather than used, wellness centres for hospitals, which conduct procedures not operations. As the late George Carlin, an American comedian, noted, people used to get old and die. Now they become first preelderly, then senior citizens and pass away in a terminal episode or (if doctors botch their treatment) after a therapeutic misadventure. These bespeak a national yearning for perfection, bodily and otherwise.
    The British are probably the world champions of euphemism. The best of these are widely understood (at least among natives), creating a pleasant sense of conspiracy between the euphemist and his audience. British newspaper obituaries are a rich seam: nobody likes to speak ill of the dead, yet many enjoy a hint of the truth about the person who has "passed away". A drunkard will be described as "convivial" or "cheery". Unbearably garrulous is "sociable" or the dread "ebullient"; "lively wit" means a penchant for telling cruel and unfunny stories. "Austere" and "reserved" mean joyless and depressed. Someone with a foul temper "did not suffer fools gladly". Uncontrollable appetites of all sorts may earn the ultimate accolade: "He lived life to the full."
    Such euphemisms are a pleasant echo of an age when private lives enjoyed a degree of protective discretion that now seems unimaginable in Britain. Writing about dead people is a question only of taste, because they can’t sue. Describing the living (especially in libel-happy jurisdictions such as England) requires prudence. "Thirsty" applied to a British public figure usually means heavy drinking; "tired and emotional" (a term that has moved from the pages of Private Eye, a satirical magazine, into general parlance) means visibly drunk.
    Euphemism is so ingrained in British speech that foreigners, even those who speak fluent English, may miss the signals contained in such bland remarks as "incidentally" (which means, "I am now telling you the purpose of this discussion"); and "with the greatest respect" ("You are mistaken and silly"). This sort of code allows the speaker to express anger, contempt or outright disagreement without making the emotional investment needed to do so directly. Some find that cowardly.
    Orwell was right: euphemisms can be sneaky and coercive. They cloak a decision’s unpleasant results, as in "let go" for "fire", or "right-sizing" for "mass sackings". They make consequences sound less horrid—as, chillingly, in "collateral damage" for "dead civilians".
    Such jargony, polysyllabic euphemisms, often using long Latinate words instead of short Anglo-Saxon ones, can quickly become an argot used by slippery-tongued, well-educated insiders to defend their privileges. With luck, the real word may fall into disuse and the humble outsider will feel intimidated by the floppy, opaque language that masks wrongdoing or shortcoming. How do you begin to complain if you don’t know the lingo?
    Politically correct euphemisms are among the most pernicious. Good and bad become "appropriate" or "inappropriate". A ghastly problem becomes a less alarming "challenging issue". Spending is investment; cuts are savings. "Affected by material error" (in European Union parlance) means money stolen from the budget.
    But euphemisms can also be benign, even necessary. Sometimes the need to prevent hurt feelings justifiably takes precedence over clarity. Saying that dim or disruptive children have "special needs", or that they exhibit "challenging behaviour", does not make them easier to teach—but it may prevent them being teased or disheartened. "Frail" (of an old person) is nicer than doddery or senile. Euphemisms may be a species of lie, but some of them are white.
    A culture without euphemism would be more honest, but rougher. Here’s a New Year’s resolution: scrub your conversation of euphemism for a day. The results will startle you.
Many euphemisms are exemplified in the passage to prove the author’s opinion that
选项 A、euphemisms are lies that are revealing.
B、euphemisms are a pleasant echo of an age.
C、euphemisms can be secret and opaque.
D、euphemisms can be benign, even necessary.
答案A
解析 篇章结构题。浏览全文可以看出第二至十段中含有许多委婉语的例子。第三段简单介绍美国式委婉语，而第四至十段分析英国式委婉语的特点。选项[A]出现在第二段末句“A euphemism is a kind of lie，and the lies peoples and countries tell themselves are revealing．”根据英文的篇章结构特点可知，通常都是作者先表达观点，然后通过例证、引证等方法对观点加以说明，在第十段末句出现了“Euphemisms may be a species of lie，but some of them are white．”，这是典型的篇章上的首尾呼应，可见[A]为答案。
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