英语委婉语的语言特点和文化内涵(2)
Ⅱ. Language Features of English Euphemism
2.1 Phonetic Features
No matter in spoken or written language, euphemism is widely used. The analysis of the discourse of daily life and some typescripts indicates that it is very common to use some features of phonetic to achieve the euphemism effects. And euphemisms may be created by phonetic methods, such as light reading and phonetic distortion. On the condition that a speaker has to speak something which would make him or her feel ashamed and sorry, he or she is inclined to say it in a low voice. Euphemism also is created by phonetic distortion which includes weak stress, vague and falling tone, aposiopesis, abbreviation, blends words, reduplication and so on.
2.1.1 Weak Stress, Falling Tone
For things that people do not want express directly, they usually use very low voice to instead high and imposing voice and make it wholeness and vague. For instance, a man is a sanitary worker, if you ask his job he will say in a vague way “I am in the public service”. Only when you step into another ask, he tell you he clean the street reluctantly with very weak voice. The voice is so slightly that you cannot hear it clearly without lighten you ears even if you stand face to face. And in modern countries, such phenomenon can be found in almost all the fields. For example, in school if a student wants to go to the washing room, he or she would say to a teacher that he or she has to do his business.
2.1.2 Aposiopesis
In English, there is a kind of expressional method called aposiopesis that can also act as a way of euphemizing. When the speaker talks with his friend or partner, he suddenly find that the things should not say under the condition. And what he say would makes others fell embarrassing and angry but he wants the listener know what he wants to express, however he could not find a suitable word to substitute or intentionally use other words to instead of, in order to achieve the effect and make things euphemism, he will stop telling immediately. For example: If you do not returnoh, I
2.1.3 Abbreviation
Some euphemism is abbreviations, and it can be pided into several situations:
(1) Use a word to refer to two or more words. Such as, use convenience to instead convenience, orderly to replace garbage orderly, kick to take the place of kick the bucket.
(2) Just say a part of a word to refer to the whole word. Such as gent refers to gentlemen, vamp refers to vampire.
(3) Just use the initials to replace the full word. Such as BM means bowel movement, JC means Jesus Christ, the Big C refer to cancer, WC refer to water closet, B.O. refer to body odor.
2.1.4 Blend Words
Blending is a way of forming euphemism by squeezing two or more words together both orthographically and phonetically. In this way, people express their purpose of the intention in an indirect way. For example, hernia refers to buttocks, however the word hernia is make of hind end; “gezunda” used to instead chamber pot, because chamber pot usually “goes under the bed”.
2.1.5 Reduplication
Reduplication is the repetition of a syllable of a letter or a word. Sometimes it also means changing the original sound of words which may also play in keeping some distance to the original indelicate language, and as a result, serve the purpose of euphemizing (Yan Meiying 61). And through reduplicate the basic syllable in a word, change the sound of a world, can achieve the effect of euphemism. For example, pee-pee instead of pros or piss to refer that child wants to go to toilet in children’s vocabulary.