ABSTRACT：Euphemism is very common in language and is an important part of a language, so does English euphemism. As we know, English in the international language and plays an important role in the international communication. Therefore, it is of great value to learn more about English, especially its widely used euphemism. English euphemism tends to express those unpleasant or impolite words through gentle, implicit and euphemistic ways. As an important method to harmonize interpersonal relations, euphemism plays a crucial role in social communication. Therefore, it is necessary for us to make a study of the euphemism in English-the international language in order to communicate with other people or other countries effectively. For instance, we should have a better understanding of the definition, formation methods, classification and pragmatic functions of euphemisms in order to use English euphemism correctly to avoid some problems caused by misusing euphemisms and to successfully achieve the expected result of communication.
Key words: Euphemism; definition; formation ways; pragmatic function
摘要：委婉语是人类语言中的一种普遍现象，是语言的重要组成部分。英语委婉语亦如此。众所周知，英语是一门世界通用的语言，在国际交流中起着举足轻重的作用。因此更多的了解英语尤其是英语中广泛使用的委婉语是极其有价值的。委婉语通过运用温和顺耳，含蓄委婉的表达方式去表达那些可能使对方不悦或者不礼貌的词语。作为协调人际关系的一个重要手段，英语委婉语在社会交流中起着至关重要的作用。为了能够更加有效地进行人际交流和国际交流，我们有必要对英语这门国际通用语言的委婉语进行研究与调查。例如，我们应了解委婉语的定义，构成方式，分类和语用功能，才能够正确的使用委婉语,避免误用委婉语引起的问题，从而成功的利用委婉语来达到预期的交际效果。
关键词：委婉语；定义；构成方式；语用功能
Euphemism is a widespread linguistic phenomenon in English, which is an important part of English as well. What’s more, euphemism influences human social life a lot and is becoming more and more important. As an indispensable and natural part of English language, euphemism has attracted many experts and language learners for a long period of time. Without euphemism, it is impossible to achieve a successful communication. In another word, euphemism is used to beautify a language. As we all know, language is a mirror of a culture. Therefore, English euphemism associates closely with the western culture, and it truly reflects the life and values of people who speak English and their history. The study of English euphemism can help us understand the western culture and promote the international development since euphemism is widely used in international affairs. So we should have a better understanding of the definition, formation methods, classification and pragmatic functions of euphemisms in order to successfully achieve the expected result of communication and to avoid some problems appearing in misusing euphemisms.
This paper is divided into five parts. The introduction part deal with the advantages of euphemism and a brief introduction of the purpose for writing this paper. The importance of doing the research is also emphasized in this part. The second part is the literature review of euphemisms. In this part, definitions given by famous linguists on euphemism are listed. It covers principles in forming English euphemism and formation ways such as phonetic and orthographical means, lexical means, rhetorical means, grammatical means and non-linguistic means. The third part is the discussion of the specific application and impact of euphemisms in the West. For example, linguistics in euphemisms has had a kind of changes on the development of language and four pragmatic functions of English euphemism. The application of euphemisms in the Western culture, such as the application of euphemisms in the Western official language and writing and in the West civil language and writing is also mentioned in this part. The last part is the conclusion, based on the previous discussion, ways to understand euphemism will be extended and new methods of appreciating them will be exploded.
