Taboo and Euphemism.pptVIP

Taboo and Euphemism Eliza Nancy Apr. 28 Funny Euphemisms in Daily Life Literally: the appearance of a man does not fit in with the Chinese policy : “Scientific Outlook on Development” (harmony). Implication: The man they mentioned is ugly. Funny Euphemisms in Daily Life Edison Chan is the protagonist of a sexy photo scandal. Here his name is a fashionable Euphemism for pornographic photos. The Definition of Euphemism Euphemisms are mild, agreeable, or roundabout words used in place of coarse, painful, or offensive ones. Euphemisms are powerful linguistic devices which “are embedded so deeply in our language that few of us, even those who pride themselves on being plainspoken, never get through a day without using them”. ( Huge Rawson ) Euphemism and Taboo A euphemism and its corresponding taboo are the two sides of a coin. Different social taboos result in different euphemisms. There are five kinds of taboos that deeply influence the use of euphemisms. ★ Religion ★ View of Life and Death ★ Gender and Sex ★ Race ★ Politics Taboo of Religion and Euphemism Persephone ( the Queen of the Underworld ): “the Maiden” or “wife of Pluto” Hecate ( goddess of sorcery and the Queen of Ghosts ): “tender-hearted” Jesus Christ: Adonai, the Almighty, the Creator the Devil: the Big D, the evil one, the black one. Taboo of Death and Euphemism Western culture: British epic Beowulf : die →journey elsewhere Shakespeares Hamlet: death → shuffle off the mortal coil Chinese culture: Taoism: riding a crane to the West Buddhism: nirvana Taboo and Euphemism in inter-cultural communication violation of taboos Don′t do it ! 一次，恰逢旅游旺季，XX旅行社接待一个泰国团，导游服务热情周到，在带团初期一切状况良好，但后来却发生了一件不愉快的事而招致客人投诉。原因是团内有一对年轻夫妇的小孩长得十分可爱，导游忍不住在男孩的头上摸了一下，这种在中国看来最平常不过的举动，却触犯了泰国人“重头轻脚”的禁忌，男孩的父母当即脸就沉下来，只是没有当场发作，但导游却不懂得察言观色，后来又忍不住摸了一下小孩的头，这下男孩的父母再也控制不住当场与导游吵了起来，导致最后的投诉。 object taboos (taboos on