| 词组 | euphemisms |
| 释义 | euphemisms 1. A euphemism is an inoffensive expression substituted for another that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. Euphemisms have been around much longer than the word itself, which dates only from the 17th century. Euphemisms are—how shall we say it?—culturally and socially mediated; they are perhaps less a subject for the student of grammar and usage than for the student of the social sciences more generally. Euphemism is used as a pejorative label by quite a few writers on usage. It probably has little point as a label, most of the time, since one salient fact about euphemisms is that almost everyone knows what they are being used in place of; only the newest and most abstruse euphemisms are likely to puzzle the reader. But usage writers tend to fancy themselves blunt, forthright, and plainspoken people, and poking a little fun at the po-faced and the mealy-mouthed is one of their favorite sports. Of course, even the plainspoken can miss a euphemism now and then: witness Copperud 1980 who gets in a jab at bathroom and restroom being euphemisms for "the more exact toilet," but does not mention that this use of toilet was itself originally a euphemism (as, indeed, once was privy). The use of euphemisms for political purposes—when taxes become revenue enhancements, invasions become incursions, and murder becomes liquidation—has been viewed with alarm by various writers, among them George Orwell. Bolinger 1980 also discusses the subject, especially in reference to the deceptive use of euphemisms. You probably need not be very concerned about euphemisms in your writing. It is not practical to worry about any except those you recognize as euphemisms; those that you recognize, you will use or avoid according to what you are writing and the audience you are writing for. 2. Euphemism, euphuism. Fowler 1907, 1926, 1965 has a warning about confusing these words. It is doubtful that these words are often confused, as Fowler asserts. In 1907 there are two 19th century examples and in 1926 (and 1965) an unidentified newspaper example, but we have little in our files. Euphuism is a literary word that seldom reaches the nonliterary public. Inadvertency would probably account for euphuism used as a gloss on the misspelling uphemism in Peter & Craig Norback, The Misspeller's Dictionary, 1974. |
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