首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
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
admin
2012-12-01
43
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.
The author suggests that
选项
A、we should stop using euphemisms.
B、euphemisms bear a dual character.
C、white lies are better than euphemisms.
D、foreigners should learn more euphemisms.
答案
B
解析
推断题。末段首句指出“A culture without euphemism would be more honest,but rougher.”,结合最后两句“Here’s a New Year’s resolution; scrub your conversation of euphemism for a day.The results will startle you.”可以看出,作者认为委婉语虽然是谎言,但其存在有必要性,可见具有两面性,故[B]为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/QFaO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
______areboundmorphemesbecausetheycannotbeusedasseparatewords.
TheodoreDreiserandJackLondonareamongthebestrepresentativewritersofliterary______,whichisgreatlyinfluencedbyDa
A、searchhisinformationonsomewebsites.B、seehowyourfriendscommentonhim.C、makesurehe’salwaysdoneagoodjob.D、tel
IntroductiontoEnglishSynonymsEnglishhasthelargestvocabularyandthemostsynonymsofalllanguagesintheworld.This
IntroductiontoEnglishSynonymsEnglishhasthelargestvocabularyandthemostsynonymsofalllanguagesintheworld.This
DemographyisthestatisticalstudyofhumanpopulationItcanbea-generalsciencethatcanbeappliedtoanykindofdynamicp
AttendingaCollegeorUniversityintheUSAEachyear,manyforeignstudentswishtogotothecollegesanduniversitiesinthe
你得承认,多媒体不只是一件东西.而是包括许多东西的复杂的组合:硬件、软件和这两者相遇时的界面。不,我们还忘了一件很重要的事情.多媒体还包括你。是的.就是!对于多媒体.你不再县一个被动的观众-株可以控制可以交互作用.可以让它按你的需要去做。这就意味着你可以按
Shelly’ssnackshopwasthenamethatBrianEgemoofBadger,Iowa,appliedtohiswife’ssideofthebed.In1994Shelly,whoha
随机试题
∫exsinxdx=
目前已知毒物中毒性最强的是
男性,35岁。发热、双颈部淋巴结进行性肿大1个月。查体:双侧颈部可触及数个1.5cm×1.5cm左右大的无触痛淋巴结,肝、脾肋下未触及。血象正常。胸部、腹部CT未发现深部淋巴结肿大。若淋巴结活检示:发现R-S细胞,该患者的临床分期
检验检测机构合格的外部供应商来自()。
开采矿产资源时,应当注意()。
环境管理体系的模式建立在一个由()诸环节构成的动态循环过程的基础上。
当风险从2增加到3时,期望收益率将得到补偿[E(rA)-E(rB)],若投资者认为,增加的期望收益率恰好能够补偿增加的风险,所以A与B两种证券组合的满意程度相同,证券组合A与证券组合B无差异。则该投资者是()。
甲股份有限公司(简称甲公司)2018年有关资料如下:(1)2018年7月1日按每股3.25元的发行价增发400万股普通股(每股面值1元)。(2)2018年11月1日按每股5元的价格回购120万股普通股(每股面值1元)并予以注销。(3)截至2018年年
公安机关在侦查过程中,对应当逮捕而在逃的犯罪嫌疑人可以采取()的方法抓捕归案。
Theconceptionofpovertyandwhatto【C1】______aboutithavechangedoverthedecades.UnderSocialDarwinismthelazyandthe【C
最新回复
(
0
)