General Views on Euphemism

Abstract：　Euphemism　is　a　part　of　language.　It　develops　with　the　growth　of　society.　People　use　euphemism　to　avoid　saying　some　words　which　make　others　feel　unpleasant.　Euphemism　on　death　is　an　important　section，　and　people　use　it　to　make　death　sound　not　so　terrible.　English　and　Chinese　are　two　independent　language　systems.

Key　words：　euphemism；　growth；section；language　systems

中图分类号：H31 文献标识码：Ａ 文章编号：1005-5312（2012）35-0216-01

1.　Introduction

Euphemism　is　a　part　of　language.　It　develops　with　the　growth　of　society.　People　use　euphemism　to　avoid　saying　some　words　which　make　others　feel　unpleasant.　Euphemism　on　death　is　an　important　section，　and　people　use　it　to　make　death　sound　not　so　terrible.　English　and　Chinese　are　two　independent　language　systems.　There　are　a　great　deal　of　euphemisms　on　death　in　English　and　Chinese　and　their　forms　are　multitudinal　and　usage　is　different.　Under　the　circumstance，　people　should　pay　attention　when　they　apply　euphemism　to　death，　or　else　it　will　lead　to　a　serious　result，　therefore，　how　to　use　euphemism　on　death　is　more　and　more　important　today.　Euphemism　on　death　is　not　only　a　tool　that　people　use　to　communicate，　but　also　reflects　cultures　between　different　countries，therefore，　people　can　know　some　cultural　differences　between　China　and　western　countries　and　communicate　well　by　studying　euphemism　on　death.

2.　General　Views　on　Euphemism

People　start　to　apply　euphemism　for　a　long　time.　However，　until　now，　people　just　begin　to　place　a　great　emphasis　on　euphemism.　Euphemism　falls　into　many　kinds，　and　euphemism　on　death　is　one　of　the　most　important　parts．

2.1　Previous　Studies　of　Euphemism

Scholars　have　begun　to　study　euphemism　for　a　long　time.　In　1936，　in　his　book　The　American　Language，　American　linguist，　Mencken，　fully　discussed　why　hundreds　of　euphemisms　had　been　born　and　become　popular　on　the　basis　of　American　history　and　social　cultural　background.　In　1983，　Kind　Words—A　Thesaurus　of　Euphemisms　was　published.　The　book　was　written　by　Neaman　and　Silver.

Compared　with　those　flourishing　studies　on　euphemism　between　western　countries　and　China，　Chinese　people　can　trace　the　history　of　euphemism　back　to　Tso　Chuan.　It　is　about　address　of　people.　Ordinary　people　could　not　use　the　same　name　as　empire’s.　The　year　1976　saw　the　publication　of　Introduction　to　Rhetoric，　compiled　by　Chen　Wangdao.　Some　years　later，　Chen　Yuan　published　the　book　Sociolinguistics.

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