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1、OnEnglishEuphemism摘要：委婉语是人类语言使用过程中的一种普通现象，是人们谈论那些令人不快或尴尬的事情时，所使用的的较为礼貌的说法。它是一种修辞格，更是一种文化现象。委婉语源于社会禁忌，既有宗教性、阶级性，又有时代性，在不同程度上反映了某一国家、地域和时代所认同的思维模式、价值观和道德观等。委婉语是英汉语言中共同的语言现象，多种形式的委婉语折射出中西方形态各异的社会文化背景，反映出形形色色的社会心理状态和语言文化内涵。了解东西方委婉语的文化差异，有益于减少跨文化交际中的障碍。关键词：委婉语；禁忌；文化渊源Abstract:Eu
2、phemismisacommonphenomenonintheprocessofhumanlanguageusing,andisapolitewayusedwhenpeopletalkaboutthoseunhappyorembarrassedthings.Itisafigureofspeech,furthermoreakindofculturalphenomenon.Euphemismstemsfromsocialtaboo,ithasthestateofbeingreligious,classaswellastimes,andtovary
3、ingdegreesitreflectsthepatternofthinking,values,moralconceptetc..ofonecountry,regionanderaapproved.EuphemismisthecommonlanguagephenomenoninbothEnglishandChinese,diversifiedformsofeuphemismrefractoutdifferentformsofculturalbackgroundbetweenChineseandWestern,refracteverydescr
4、iptionofsocialpsychologicalcondition,languageandculturalintension.Itisusefultoreducetheobstacleincross-languagecommunicationbyfindingouttheculturaldifferenceofeuphemismbetweenEastandWest.Keywords:euphemisms;taboo;culturalorigin第18页共18页IntroductionEuphemismandhistoricallingu
5、isticsHistoricallinguisticshasrevealedtracesoftaboodeformationsinmanylanguages.SeveralareknowntohaveoccurredinIndo-European,includingtheoriginalIndo-Europeanwordsforbear(*rktos),wolf(*wlkwos),anddeer(originally,hart).IndifferentIndo-Europeanlanguages,eachofthesewordshasadif
6、ficultetymologybecauseoftaboodeformations—aeuphemismwassubstitutedfortheoriginal,whichnolongeroccursinthelanguage.AnexampleistheSlavicrootforbear—*medu-ed-,whichmeans"honeyeater"(Levinson,2001)InsomelanguagesofthePacific,usingthenameofadeceasedchiefistaboo.Sincepeopleareoft
7、ennamedaftereverydaythings,thisleadstotheswiftdevelopmentofeuphemisms.Theselanguageshaveaveryhighrateofvocabularychange.The"euphemismtreadmill"EuphemismscaneventuallybecometaboowordsthemselvesthroughaprocessthelinguistStevenPinkerhascalledtheeuphemismtreadmill(cf.Gresham'sL
8、awineconomics).Wordsoriginallyintendedaseuphemisms,or"politicallycorrect"phrases,m
