Comparative Study and Translation Strategies of English and Chinese Euphemisms 英语毕业论文 (2).doc

Comparative Study and Translation Strategies of English and Chinese Euphemisms Introduction In English and Chinese languages, the use of euphemisms existed all the time. The emergence of English euphemism could trace back to the Norman Conquest in 1066. At that time people used euphemisms because Norman and local upper class thought that Angle-Saxon’s native language were vulgar. They used many elegant Latin language and French language. Gradually these words were melted into English language and became the earliest euphemisms. In Chinese history, Chinese people used euphemism from “The Book of Songs” at first. English and Chinese euphemisms experienced changes in thousands of years and were used widely in every field in social life. Euphemisms, through the ages, across cultures and pervasive existence at different levels of language, indicate that the euphemistic use of language is not only confined to the lexical or grammatical level, but also is a cultural phenomenon in language communication. This paper focuses on the differences between English and Chinese euphemisms by comparatively analyzing their linguistic and cultural characteristics and then puts forward their translation methods. I. Euphemism 1.1 Definition of Euphemism Euphemism dates back to Latin. The prefix “eu-” means ?good”, the stem ?pheme?means ?speech?, so euphemism means ?good speech?to avoid speaking in improper way. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary gives euphemism a definition as:?Substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest unpleasant.?(Merriam Webster Incorporated, 1995: 400) In Oxford English-Chinese Dictionary , it is defined as ?a mild or vague expression substituted for one thought to be too harsh or direct.?(Della Thompson, 2005: 692) In China, research into it can be dated back to the Spring-Autumn period. The meaning of Chinese euphemism is similar to the western but the scope of Chinese euphemism is wider, English euphemism is the same to