Abstract

     Language is an important way for people to communicate with each other. However, people cannot say something directly because it may make people embarrassed and unhappy. In order to avoid misunderstanding, people need some pleasant words or expressions to express their ideas indirectly. These words are euphemisms. Euphemism plays a vital part in social communication and we can find euphemism in almost every culture. Euphemism can help people establish a good relationship with others and ensure that people can achieve their goals in communication. Euphemism is not only a linguistic phenomenon but also a cultural phenomenon. It reflects the culture and lifestyle of a nation. In order to help the language learners have a good command of the relationship between euphemism and culture, this thesis will have a discussion on English and Chinese euphemism from the point of view of the religious beliefs, the mode of thinking, the tradition and the social values. Chinese euphemism can express the modesty, elegance and politeness of Chinese people. English euphemism can show the humor, independence and creativity of western people. This thesis consists of six chapters. In the first chapter, the author will give a brief introduction of the paper, an account of motivation and the methodology of the dissertation. Chapter two will introduce the definition of euphemism. Chapter three is about the definition of culture. This paper will briefly discuss the classification of euphemism in chapter four. Chapter five is the core of this thesis; This chapter will have a cultural comparison between Chinese euphemism and English one. Chapter six concludes the whole paper. This thesis will help people solve the problems in communication between Chinese and English cultures. 

Key words: euphemism, culture, difference

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-5

2. Definition of Euphemism-6

3. Definition of Culture-6

4. Classification of Euphemism-7

4.1 Euphemism as a Linguistic Phenomenon-7

4.2 Euphemism as a Cultural Phenomenon-8

5. A cultural comparison between Chinese euphemism and English one-9

5.1 The religious belief-10

5.2 The mode of thinking-11

5.3 The tradition-11

5.4 The social values-12

Conclusion-13

Bibliography-14