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
Euphemism I. Overall Introduction of Euphemism A. The definition of euphemism (from Greek) —Prefix "eu" ; good, well —Root " phe
Euphemism I. Overall Introduction of Euphemism A. The definition of euphemism (from Greek) —Prefix "eu" ; good, well —Root " phe
admin
2012-06-24
21
问题
Euphemism I. Overall Introduction of Euphemism
A. The definition of euphemism (from Greek) —Prefix "eu" ; good, well
—Root " phem" : (1)______
—Suffix ism : noun —Literal meaning:
to speak with good words or in a pleasant manner. —Earliest time of use in record; the 11th century
B.C.
B. The origin of euphemism; (2)______
—The function of euphemism:
mild, roundabout words instead of coarse, offensive, or painful ones
C. The definitions of euphemism (two most commonly used) ;
—mild or vague or roundabout expression for harsh
or blunt or direct one —polite, tactful, or less (3)______term to avoid the
direct naming of an unpleasant painful or frightening
reality Common points; polite, roundabout, and indirect mode of expression
D. Classification of euphemism
1) Classification Type One (by Hugh Rawson from the angle of semantics) ; i. the positive; stylistic ones inflate and magnify the word meaning, making the euphemized seem grander and more important than they really are
ii. the negative; (4)______ones
deflate and diminish the word meaning, defensive in nature offsetting the power of tabooed terms and eradicating everything that people prefer not to deal with directly 2) Classification Type Two: unconscious ones & conscious ones i. Angle of classification: whether people remember their original
(5)______or not
ii. Example: indisposition
—the original meaning : incapacity to deal with
something —its euphemistic meaning: slight illness or ill health II. Different uses of euphemism in cross-cultural communication
A. Definition of " culture" : the entire way of society (customs, traditions, social habits, values, beliefs and language)
B. Uses of euphemism related to different aspects of culture
1) euphemisms related to names
i. Chinese culture; emphasis on names
Example: (6) ______’s name is forbidden to be
called
ii. British and American culture; few emphases
on names
Example; Parents’ name can be called directly;
Children have the same name with their parents
2) euphemisms related to excretions
i. English culture; having variety of euphemisms
—Example;
Original words; go to the toilet, go to stool Euphemistic words; to (7) .to freshen
up, to pick a daisy, to relieve or to relieve nature, get some fresh air etc.
3) euphemisms related to death
—Function; to respect the dead, to memorize them, to praise them, to avoid using the dreadful word
4) euphemisms related to old age
—Chinese; being (8) ______ of being old,
few euphemisms —American; being afraid of being old, a lot
of euphemisms
5) euphemisms related to fatness —English; derogatory
—euphemistic phrases;
weight-watcher, heavyset, (9) _____ —Chinese; commendatory III. Conclusion
—the grease of language, the (10)______of social
culture
Euphemism
Good morning, boys and girls. In today’s lecture, we will focus on euphemism. The word euphemism comes from Greek, "eu-" means "good" or "well" , (1) the root "phem" means "speech".and "-ism" is a noun suffix. It means literally "to speak with good words or in a pleasant manner". The record use of euphemism is found until the eleventh century BC.
As one form of language, euphemism is a common phenomenon. It is widely used in human society. Euphemism can reduce sensitivity and irritation of expression. People use it to substitute indirect word or phrase. Euphemism also reflects some cultural differences. People in different language groups use different ways to express euphemism.
First, we will have a look at the origin of euphemism.
Euphemism originates from verbal taboo, which originates from religion superstition. reflecting the importance of social psychology. Almost every culture has its own taboo. People dare not call something by name directly because of the psychology of fear. So people work out indirect terms to replace them. The euphemisms come into being. People feel they are far away from fear when they use euphemism. In a word, euphemism is mild, roundabout words used in place of coarse, offensive, or painful ones.
So, what is euphemism?
Euphemism has been defined differently in different books. Here I will cited two most commonly used as follows: 1) Euphemism is substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for harsh or blunt or direct one. 2) (3) Euphemism is a polite. tactful. or less explicit term used to avoid the direct naming of an unpleasant painful or frightening reality.
All these definitions above share the same point; euphemism is a polite, roundabout, and indirect mode of expression which is used to talk about something unpleasant. It can make the unpleasant things sound better, and make people feel good; it can make both speaker and hearer avoid losing face.
Then, how can euphemism be classified?
Euphemism can be classified into many types from different angles.
Hugh Rawson divides euphemisms into two types:the positive and the negative from the angle of semantics. The positive euphemisms can be named stylistic ones, which " inflate and magnify the word meaning, making the euphemized seem altogether grander and more important than they really are. " (4) The negative euphemisms are extremely ancient.and closely connected with the taboos. They are also called " traditional euphemisms". They deflate and diminish. " They are defensive in nature offsetting the power of tabooed terms and otherwise eradicating from the language everything that people prefer not to deal with directly. "
According to different standards, there also exist many other classifications of euphemisms. For example, (5) all euphemisms, whether positive or negative, can be divided into two classes; unconscious and conscious according to whether people remember their original motivations or not. Some euphemisms developed so long ago that hardly anyone remembers how they were originally motivated. Take "indisposition" for instance, the original meaning of the word is "incapacity to deal with something" and its euphemistic meaning is "slight illness or ill health" , which has been frequently used for so long that people hardly think of the original meaning.
As in cross-cultural communications, we also cannot avoid mentioning some differences in the use of euphemism.
First, what is culture?
Culture refers to the entire way of a society such as customs, traditions, social habits, values, beliefs and language. Different cultures have their own different history, politics and way of thinking. The value and moral concepts implied in English and Chinese Euphemisms are different.
Next, we’d like to talk about some uses of euphemism related to different aspects of culture.
First, euphemism related to names.
The Chinese culture places an emphasis on name. (6) In ancient times, people cannot call the emperor’s name. The common people even have no right to mention the characters having the same sound as the emperor’s name. However, British and American people think that God created the human, all men are created equal, and there are few euphemisms about name in English. They even call their parents’ name directly to show the friendly relation. Furthermore, it is inoffensive for the young to have the same names as the old people. This kind of cultural system is different from that of China.
Second, euphemisms related to excretions.
English has variety of euphemisms in this category. Excreta and acts of human excretion are to be avoided in polite conversation. People do not say "go to the toilet" or "go to stool". (7) They use "to fix one’s face" , "to freshen up" , "to pick a daisy", "to relieve or to relieve nature" , "get some fresh air" etc. as their euphemisms.
Third, euphemisms related to death
Death is an inevitable stage at the end of one’s life’s journey. People use euphemisms to respect the dead, or to memorize them, sometimes to praise them, sometimes only to avoid using this dreadful word.
Fourthly, euphemisms related to old age
Chinese and English have different feeling about "old age". (8-1) Chinese is proud of being old. In Chinese there are few euphemisms for old, which show more respect to old people and old people are thought to be more experienced. (8-2) However, Americans are afraid of becoming old. They want to act, feel and look young. In their opinion, the old people live a lonely life and are no longer energetic, so there are a lot of mild and roundabout expressions to show this concept of "old age" vocabulary.
Last, euphemisms related to fatness
In western countries, "fat" is a symbol of stupid, so to mention the word "fat" directly is impolite. The people who have no self-made dint will deliver fat, so the word fat is a word which contains the derogatory sense. The euphemism of "fat" is "weight-watcher" in English. And people say "heavyset" or_"on the heavy side" to express euphemistic sense. But the fatness contains commendatory more in the Chinese language.
As a phenomenon of language, euphemism is observed everywhere in all human societies and it is widely used in all human interactions. People always try to avoid the language leading to unpleasantness. (10) It is not only the grease of language, but also the accumulation of social culture. Euphemism indicates that the language is restricted and affected by society and culture.
That’s all for today’s lecture, thanks for listening. In our next lecture, we will get a close look at the principles of euphemisms.
选项
答案
fix one’s face
解析
根据句(7)可知,在礼貌用语中,“排泄”之类的词在英文中也被认为可以避免,人们不会说“去厕所”,而是会使用一些委婉语用来做替代,譬如,They use“to fix one’s face”,“to freshen up”…因此答案填fix one’s face。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/syiO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
TheFutureofPCMarketThefirstDevelopersConferenceinChinamarksamajormilestoneforMicrosoft,becausethesuccesso
Whichofthefollowingisacompoundword?
ThetradeandinvestmentrelationshipbetweentheEuropeanUnionandtheUnitedStatesisthemostimportantintheworld.Despi
ThetradeandinvestmentrelationshipbetweentheEuropeanUnionandtheUnitedStatesisthemostimportantintheworld.Despi
Atpresentcompaniesandindustriesliketosponsorsportsevents.Tworeasonsareputforwardtoexplainthisphenomenon.Thef
TheUnitedStatesbelievesthattheefforttoreducetensionsisservedbyimprovingcommunicationbetweencountriesthathaved
ThetwomodernwriterswhoseinfluenceonyoungnovelistshasbeenmostpervasiveareprobablyJamesJoyceandErnestHemingway.
TheRiseofRPHistoricalreasonsReceivedPronunciation(RP)wasoriginallyassociatedwitha【1】______spokenintheregion
Whatdoesthefollowingsentencemean?"Oncethemostdemocraticofinstitutions,linesarerapidlybecomingtheexclusiveprovi
随机试题
“喘由外感者治肺,喘由内伤者治肾”一语出自
下列哪一项不属于建筑化大面积照明艺术处理?
股票市场上有一支股票的价格是每股30元,已知发行该股票的公司在该年度净利润为2000万元,销售收入总额为10000万元,未分配利润为3000万元,该公司的股本数额为1000万股。该股票的市盈率为()。
下列各项中,不能衡量证券投资收益水平的是()。
下列应通过“应付账款”账户核算的是()。
我国《基础教育课程改革纲要(试行)》规定,在课程设置上,高中阶段()
互联网已经覆盖我们生活的方方面面,在给我们带来诸多便利的同时,也潜藏着安全风险。维护网络安全不是抽象、遥远的概念,而是与我们生活息息相关的“柴米油盐”,必须提高网民的网络安全意识。网络安全周的宣传教育,正是为了树立网民的网络安全观念:维护网络安全,人人有责
莎士比亚的戏剧大都取材于旧有剧本、小说、编年史或民间传说,但在改写中他注入了自己的思想,给旧题材赋予新颖、丰富、深刻的内涵。在艺术表现上,他继承古代希腊罗马、中世纪英国和文艺复兴时期欧洲戏剧的三大传统并加以发展,从内容到形式进行了创造性革新。他的戏剧不受三
因工作需要,某单位决定从本单位的3位女性(小王、小李、小孙)和5位男性(小张、小金、小吴、小孟,小余)中选出4人组建谈判小组并参与一次重要谈判,选择条件如下:(1)小组成员既要有女性,也要有男性;(2)小张与小王不能都入选;(3)小李与小孙不能都入选
设f(x)连续,且∫0xtf(x﹢t)﹦,已知f(2)﹦1。求积分∫12f(x)dx的值。
最新回复
(
0
)