新编英语教程 6 Unit 13 教案

Unit 13

TEXT I

EUPHEMISM

Neil Postman

Objectives: to understand the author’s own opinion on euphemism;

to have a better comprehension of the figure of speech

‘euphemism’.

Pre-reading Questions:

1. What is ‘euphemism’? Can you give some e xamples both in English and in Chinese languages? (Lib. W.)

(Pre-rd): the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensively harsh or blunt.

Ency. Bri. (CD, 98): the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.

NEC (Book 4): (an example of) the use of a pleasanter, less direct name for something thought to be unpleasant.

or, the substitution of a mild or vague expression for a harsh or blunt one. The word is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘to speak favorably’. The Greek prefix eu- means ‘well’.

1. Euphemisms are used to replace words associated with subjects that are

‘sensitive’ or ‘taboo’, such as death, sex, ma dness and so on. e.g. we avoid saying ‘He died last night’, but say instead ‘passed away’, ‘join his maker’, ‘left us’, ‘kicked the bucket’.

2. Sometimes euphemisms are employed out of politeness. The words we use to refer to our natural bodily functions are generally euphemisms. The word ‘lavatory’ is itself a euphemism, derived from the Latin ‘lavatorium’ meaning ‘a place for washing’. The American word ‘rest-room’ is another example. ‘Offal’(Brit) or ‘inside’ (US) is used to refer to a pig’s stomac h, liver, or lungs. Such euphemisms may be stylistically ‘permissible’ if they are kept within limits.

3. Euphemisms are also used by politicians and advertisers to hide reality from us. Euphemisms of this kind often lead to a distortion of style and meaning because they tend to be used to defend practices that would sound ugly and brutal in plain words. As George Orwell pointed out in his essay ‘Politics and the English language’:

In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemisms. Defenseless village are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire: this is called ‘pacification’.

And a motorcar becomes ‘a symphony of speed and style’ by the advertisers. Other examples:

at liberty - out of work, senior citizen - old people, in the family way - pregnant,

burier - undertaker, mortician, prison - correctional institution,

去世、逝世、作古、牺牲、与世长辞（死亡），身体发福（胖）、赋闲、下岗、分流、待业（失业）、拮据（贫困）

2. Do you think the use of euphemisms makes our language more pleasant?

In-reading Interpretation

Para. 1

1. What is the definition of euphemism according to the author?

... as an auspici ous or exalted term (like ‘sanitation engineer’) that is used in place of a more down-to-earth term (like ‘garbage man’).

auspicious or exalted: favorable or dignified, glorified, raising the status of a man referred to

more down-to-earth: factual, telling what something actually is

Why is a term like garbage man down-to-earth, and sanitation engineer auspicious or exalted? (3-2)

Garbage man is a man cleaning the garbage, which is factual, telling what something actually is. But by using sanitation engineer, the same man cleaning the garbage seems to become an engineer, which is a more glorified