Abstract Euphemism is a special skill of language; it exists in every language of the world. It is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon. Due to the differences in western and eastern cultures, to use euphemism correctly and effectively is very necessary in the process of intercultural communication, thus the study of English and Chinese euphemism is particularly important because euphemism, as a figure of speech and the means of expression in English and Chinese and is widely used in any cultures and societies. 

 At the very beginning, a semantic definition and classification were given and a basic knowledge of the formation of euphemism is discussed in this paper. And the reasons why people apply euphemism in communication, in other words, the functions of euphemism are illustrated. Moreover, cultural differences between English and Chinese euphemisms are discussed from the perspective of religion, class, tradition and morals. Last, this paper is focused on social values in intercultural communication.69644

Keywords: Euphemism; development; intercultural communication; social values; applications      

摘要 委婉语是一种特殊的语言技能，它存在于世界的每一种语言中。它不仅是一种语言现象，更是一种文化现象。由于中西方文化的差异的存在，正确有效地运用委婉语在跨文化交际中显得十分重要。因此英汉委婉语的对比研究显得尤为重要，原因就在于委婉语作为一种重要的修辞手段和表达方式，在英语和汉语中广泛应用，在任何文化和社会中都有着广泛的应用。

在本文中，在文章的开始，委婉语的语义定义和分类将被给出。人们为什么会在交流中使用委婉语，或者换句话说委婉语的功能是什么也将会在文章中阐述。不仅如此，中西方文化的差异将以宗教、阶级、传统和道德这些方面综合讨论。最终，论文将以委婉语在跨文化交际中的社会价值集中讨论。

毕业论文关键词：委婉语；发展；交际；社会价值；应用

Contents

1. Introduction 6

2. Literature Review 7

3. Semantic Study of Euphemism 8

3.1 Origin and definition 8

3.2 Classifications of euphemism 9

4. Functions of Euphemism 11

4.1 Avoidance 11

4.2 Politeness 12

4.3 Disguise 13

4.4 Elegance 13

5. Cultural Differences reflected in English and Chinese Euphemisms 13

5.1 Religious belief 13

5.2 Concept of class 14

5.3 Tradition and moral 14

6. Social Values in Intercultural Communication 15

6.1 To conceal the truth 15

6.2 To reduce the regional differences 16

6.3 To reduce communication difficulties 16

7. Conclusion 17

1. Introduction 

Euphemism is a very important language phenomenon, which plays an irreplaceable role in human social activities and interpersonal communication. When it comes to implicit expressions, euphemisms are formed. In fact, euphemism is a kind of language skill; it exists in every language of the world. It is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon. Language characteristics of euphemism are that it uses gentle words, obscure words in a roundabout way to avoid awkwardness. Besides, the similarities and differences of two languages are beneficial to understand and master second language and play a positive role in promoting the success of intercultural communication. Euphemism is native to the Greek word, with the prefix "eu" meaning "good" and the root "pheme" meaning "speech". Thus, the word euphemism itself has the literal meaning of good speech according to its Greek origin. The phenomenon of euphemism widely exists and is generally used by English people, which reflects the internal relations between the traditional culture, values and language in western societies. It is not the direct expressions but subtle twists and turns used in order to make the language humorous and less offensive, less disturbing or less troubling to the listeners. In many societies, when it comes to culture, politics, customs, religion etc, people have no choice but to avoid many things and doings, meanwhile, during the process of daily communication between humans, since their names are not appropriate to be brought up or mentioned, they have gradually developed into language taboos, thus social taboos are formed. To be more exact, euphemism is often used when it comes to bodily functions, sex or death. Yet, for all kinds of reasons, people are not able to refrain from them completely. As a result, people have to replace them with other indirect and more proper expression of language. For example, people usually use "rest room" instead of "toilet" or use" street walker" substituted for" prostitute". These expressions are called as euphemisms, which reflect this culture's characteristics and psychological changes in the society. English euphemism as a language of expression also reflects the connotation of Anglo American culture and its social and cultural values. Therefore, sociolinguistic studies of euphemisms as a language deviation play an incomparably important role in capturing the thoughts and intentions of human beings, as well as in the process of developing of modern civilization. Its application becomes increasingly frequent especially in politics, religion, business and people's daily life. It is deeply rooted in all kinds of linguistic phenomena and used by people of different social classes.文献综述