Abstract: Language communication is an important tool for maintaining social relationship. People use indirect, implicit or pleasant expressions if they meet rude, offensive or unpleasant situations. The use of euphemism is a kind of universal phenomenon. Euphemism not only meets the need of people in communication, but also plays an important role in coordinating human relation with social relationship in the language communication. Euphemism exists in every national language, including in English. The thesis states the taboo function of the euphemism from the perspective of communicative function in everyday English. In our daily life, we usually talk about the illness, death, ghost, god and so on. However, we prefer to change a way of directly referring to those words. The thesis states the phenomena simply to testify the importance and usefulness of taboo function of euphemism in English.
Key words: English; Euphemism; taboo function
摘要：语言交际是人类维系社会关系的重要手段，因而人们在交际中通常避免使用引起对方不快、不满或伤害他人感情从而损害双方关系的语言，而是采取含蓄、委婉的方法来表达思想和交流信息。委婉语的使用是一种普遍存在的现象，它广泛应用于社会各阶层以及各个领域，它不仅是人们社交时的需要,更是言语交际中协调人际关系和社会关系的重要手段。委婉语存在于世界各个民族语言中，英语也不例外。本文从避讳功能的角度阐述了英语委婉语交际功能的一个方面。在日常生活中，避免不了谈及生老病死和神灵鬼怪，但大多数人都不愿直接提及，我们更愿意换一种方式表达。本文简明的阐述了这些现象，这些现象都体现了英语委婉语避讳作用的重要性以及实用性。
关键词：英语；委婉语；避讳功能
