浅谈英语委婉语和伊拉克战争(1)(3)
2015-06-05 02:33
导读：Just like the definitions of euphemism, different people have different ideas of the definition of politics and war euphemism. But the common thing is that the political and war euphemism is the langu
Just like the definitions of euphemism, different people have different ideas of the definition of politics and war euphemism. But the common thing is that the political and war euphemism is the language used in political and diplomatic activities. Hence, the expression generally is used by governments, media, diplomats, etc. in their conversation or correspondence to describe that guarded understatement which enables them to say sharp things without becoming provocative or to “say roundabout expressions that stand for ‘something else’ with ‘gilded words’ substituted for ‘true words’ or to tell something that it isn’t.” [5]
3.2 The concrete use of euphemism in politics and war
There are various kinds of euphemisms used in all works of life, which are mainly about parts and functions of human body, sickness and death, social life and economics, education, and politics and war. Such as people use the term “ thing” for “male genital”, “to sing a song” for “to go to the toilet”, “Big c” for “cancer”, “be with God” for “death”, “downturn” for “slump”, “underprivileged” for “poor”, and “an underachiever” for “a lazy person”, etc.
As for the euphemism in politics and war, the governments are the pioneers. “Governments are gold mines for euphemism. They use it primarily for the purposes of defending and rationalizing their actions and for disguising or diminishing their failures or unpopular proposals and policies.”[6] Therefore when a member of the State Department informs you that there is a need for more fully informed judgments, he is diplomatically saying, “You don’t know your elbow from a hole in the ground.” [7]
Diplomats are a rich source for euphemism too. “Because they often seek to minimize international tensions, they frequently obfuscate both their true motives and their real failures. Only the cognoscenti recognize that a useful and business meeting between two diplomats is one at which nothing is accomplished and that a serious and candid discussion is actually a major disagreement.”[8]
大学排名 The military seems to have a particular fondness of euphemism. The purpose of military euphemism is to “slant language to minimize defeats, destruction and the violence of war”. [9] Therefore, this is natural when one considers beautifying the business to be done. There are only advances, no retreats; only victories, no defeats. “Like the language of government, the military euphemism depersonalizes, generalizes and abstracts.”[10] 4. The communicative functions of euphemism on politics and war
4.1 The communicative functions of euphemism
The communicative functions of euphemism mainly include substitution, politeness, and cover and aesthetics.
4.1.1 Substitution
According to the definitions of euphemism, we know that a great number of English euphemisms are served as the substitutions for verbal taboos. The term taboo is originally used in Polynesia. It demotes anything linguistic and nonlinguistic, which is prohibited and forbidden. When a particular topic is considered valid for discussion, the taboos of words occur, so euphemistic expressions are required. Therefore, “Taboo and euphemism are thus two faces of the same coin.”[11] This is the reason that variety of types of euphemisms have been employed to replace the tabooed words or expressions, such as the term “‘sit-down job’ for ‘defecation’, ‘neutralize’ for ‘kill’ and ‘cold feet’ for ‘cowardice’’’, [12] etc.
