Euphemism

1. Euphemism Neil Postman

2. Guess the real meaning 1. the reaper of Nature’s bounty 2. the big C 3. pre-owned vehicles 4. in a family 5. pre-emptive action 6. women in sensible shoes 7. intellectually challenged for 8. differently abled 9. Gentlemen's club 10. enhanced interrogation technique

3. Definition  Euphemism is defined as: “(example of the) use of other (mild, vague and indirect) words or phrases in place of what is required by truth or accuracy”. ( Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English with Chinese translation) “(an example of) the use of a pleasanter, less direct name for something thought to be unpleasant”. (The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) “The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive ”.(the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language) The definitions above illustrate the general characteristic of euphemism -- “the use of a indirect, vague words or expressions (though pleasant, polite, or harmless) to mask harsh, rude, or infamous truths”. Questions: 1. Why do people use the mild, vague and indirect words and expressions in communication? 2. what is the nature of the euphemism?

4. Communicative functions of euphemism 1. Evasive function: to avoid offence Euphemism for Sex, Homosexuality and Prostitution, Physical Disabilities, Reproduction, Diseases, Old age and Death, etc. 2. Politeness function: to show politeness and respect and dignity Euphemism for Occupation, Appearance , Poverty Unemployment, etc. 3. Cosmetic function: to disguise and deceive Euphemisms for Politics, Military, Commerce, etc.

5. The nature of Euphemism The nature of Euphemism is said to be: Euphemism is the traditional enemy of plain talk. Telling it like it isn’t. The fundamental intent of it is to deceive. Euphemism is a kind of lie!

6. Attitudes towards using euphemism General viewpoint: For: To use euphemism is to show a decent respect for the feeling of others. Against: It is possible for euphemism to signal false delicacy, insincerity, sentimentality, excessive modesty. (故做文雅，虚伪，造做，过分谦虚) euphemisms cause problems when the meaning is obscured. The audience cannot understand the message being sent. As euphemisms are often intended to hide the real intention and obscure the real situation, they are sometimes condemned as demoralizing. This will explain why euphemisms are high in the favor of the bureaucrats. Question: what is Postman’s attitude towards using euphemism?

7. Comprehension questions Euphemisms in “Politics and the English Language” (1947): Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question- begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them.

8. The author’s attitude toward using euphemism If euphemism is used to hide ugly realities, to serve as a disguise for immoral acts, (as in the case of using the term “Operation Sunshine”), then euphemism is bad and should be condemned.

9. Comprehension questions Paragraph 2: “ Shakespeare was only half right in saying that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Can you explain why does Postman think so? Shakespeare is right because his quotation is used to illustrate the arbitrary nature of language, i. e. the relationship between name and the thing is arbitrary and conventional so words are no more than labels given to things. We can change the name of the rose, but we cannot change the nature of the rose. Shakespeare is not right because Postman thinks “what we call things affects how we will perceive them”. Because in the course of using the name to refer to the thing, people has gradually come to establish association between the two. “rose” has got its associative meanings in usage.

10. Comprehension questions Paragraph 6 Euphemism in reverse

11. Analysis of the organization of the text Para. 1: A common definition: euphemism has got a bad name. Para. 2: Change in names vs change in nature. Para. 3: Euphemism -- a method of generating new and useful ways of perception. Para. 4: The neutral nature of the process of euphemizing Para. 5 The cultural effect of euphemizing on language: Para. 6: Moral dimensions of euphemizing Para. 7: Summary of main idea

12. examples of euphemism in the text 1. sanitation engineer garbage man 2. senior citizen old people 3. Operation Sunshine experiment with hydrogen bomb 4. pass away die 5. facilitator teacher 6. Negroes blacks 7. lunatic asylums mental institutions 8. restroom shithouse 9. culturally different children slum children 10. chairperson chairman

13. Thank you for your attention！