英汉委婉语跨文化对比研究
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摘要
委婉语是用一种不明说的、能使人感到愉快或含糊的说法代替具有令人感到不悦的含义或不够尊敬的表达法。从词源角度看，委婉语的英文euphemism中，eu是希腊前缀，意为好；phemism意为说法；euphemism意为好的说法。
委婉语广泛存在于不同的语言中，这是人类共有的心理特征造成的。如果说语言是社会生活的反射，那么委婉语更是社会心理的一面镜子。“忌讳”和“礼貌”是委婉语产生的两大心理基础。
委婉语是中西方文化所共有的现象。通过对委婉语在实际中运用的研究，我们不难发现汉英都有涉及生理现象(如生、老、病、死、排泄等)、贫穷、人们的职业及体貌等方面的委婉语。汉英委婉语在涉及范围等方面有着惊人的相似之处。但语言和文化有着密切的联系，语言作为文化的一部分带有鲜明的文化烙印。不同的国家所处的自然环境、社会环境不同，人们的生产方式、生活方式和思维方式各异，因此作为语言一部分的委婉语同样也具有跨文化的差异。正如Sapir所说的-language is a guide to social reality。
由于国际交往和文化交流的需要，了解这些异同尤为重要。此篇论文试图将英汉两种语言在委婉语方面加以比较，列举了英汉委婉语共同涉及的一些方面，以深入探讨英汉委婉语所具备的一些共同本质特征，使用动机及所反映的不同的文化内涵，进一步验证了语言与文化的紧密关系。
Euphemisms are mild, agreeable, or roundabout words used in place of coarse, painful, or offensive ones. The term comes from the Greek eu, meaning "well" or "sounding good," and pheme, "speech." No matter in Chinese or English euphemisms do exist. To a certain extent euphemism is a mirror of social psychology. Human beings are human beings. Almost all cultures seem to have certain notions or things that people try to avoid mentioning directly. Both Chinese and English euphemisms cover such topics as physiological phenomena (death, old age, disease and secretions etc), occupation, poverty, physical shortcomings and politics etc. They share certain features in common.
But on the other hand, language mirrors culture. Culture is conveyed by language system. Linguistics expressions are often culture-loaded and carry cultural information. It is the symbolic representation of a people and it comprises their historical and cultural background as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking. Failure to receive such information in cross-cultural communication will lead to misunderstanding or even worse. So this thesis aims to make a cross-cultural study on Chinese and English euphemisms and tries to conclude that out of the same motivation euphemism is a common language phenomenon. They both cover several common categories of euphemistic terms and share some common strategies (such as understatement and vagueness) and the metabolic feature. But on the other hand, euphemisms also reflect different cultures.
委婉语广泛存在于不同的语言中，这是人类共有的心理特征造成的。如果说语言是社会生活的反射，那么委婉语更是社会心理的一面镜子。“忌讳”和“礼貌”是委婉语产生的两大心理基础。
委婉语是中西方文化所共有的现象。通过对委婉语在实际中运用的研究，我们不难发现汉英都有涉及生理现象(如生、老、病、死、排泄等)、贫穷、人们的职业及体貌等方面的委婉语。汉英委婉语在涉及范围等方面有着惊人的相似之处。但语言和文化有着密切的联系，语言作为文化的一部分带有鲜明的文化烙印。不同的国家所处的自然环境、社会环境不同，人们的生产方式、生活方式和思维方式各异，因此作为语言一部分的委婉语同样也具有跨文化的差异。正如Sapir所说的-language is a guide to social reality。
由于国际交往和文化交流的需要，了解这些异同尤为重要。此篇论文试图将英汉两种语言在委婉语方面加以比较，列举了英汉委婉语共同涉及的一些方面，以深入探讨英汉委婉语所具备的一些共同本质特征，使用动机及所反映的不同的文化内涵，进一步验证了语言与文化的紧密关系。
Euphemisms are mild, agreeable, or roundabout words used in place of coarse, painful, or offensive ones. The term comes from the Greek eu, meaning "well" or "sounding good," and pheme, "speech." No matter in Chinese or English euphemisms do exist. To a certain extent euphemism is a mirror of social psychology. Human beings are human beings. Almost all cultures seem to have certain notions or things that people try to avoid mentioning directly. Both Chinese and English euphemisms cover such topics as physiological phenomena (death, old age, disease and secretions etc), occupation, poverty, physical shortcomings and politics etc. They share certain features in common.
But on the other hand, language mirrors culture. Culture is conveyed by language system. Linguistics expressions are often culture-loaded and carry cultural information. It is the symbolic representation of a people and it comprises their historical and cultural background as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking. Failure to receive such information in cross-cultural communication will lead to misunderstanding or even worse. So this thesis aims to make a cross-cultural study on Chinese and English euphemisms and tries to conclude that out of the same motivation euphemism is a common language phenomenon. They both cover several common categories of euphemistic terms and share some common strategies (such as understatement and vagueness) and the metabolic feature. But on the other hand, euphemisms also reflect different cultures.
引文
Claire Kramsch. 1998. language and culture. Oxford University Press.
Crystal, David. 1987. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge University Press.
Enright, D.J. (ed.) 1985. Fair of Speech—The Uses of Euphemism. Oxford University Press.
Goffmann. 1972. Communication in Face to Face Interaction. Penguin.
Hudson, R.A. 1980. Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Jenny Thomas. 1995. Meaning in Interaction: an Introduction to Pragmatics. Longman.
Leech G. 1983. Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman.
Neaman, J.S. & Silver, C.G. 1983. A Theasurus of Euphemisms. New York: Facts On File World Publishing Corp.
Rawson, H. 1981. A Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk. Crown Publishers New York.
Ronald Wardhaugh. 1998. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Searle, J. 1979. Meaning and Expression. Cambridge University Press.
Widdowson, H.G.1990. Aspects of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.
白解红，2000，《性别语言文化与语用研究》，湖南教育出版社。
陈原，1980，《语言与社会生活》，生活、读书、新知三联书店，北京。
邓炎昌、刘润清，1989，《语言与文化》，外语教学与研究出版社。
杜学增，2001，《中英文化习俗比较》，外语教学与研究出版社。
顾嘉祖，1990，《语言与文化》，上海外语教育出版社。
何兆熊，2000，《新编语用学概要》，上海外语教育出版社。
李国南，1989，英语中的委婉语，《外国语》第三期。
刘纯豹，2001，《英语委婉语辞典》，商务印书馆。
束定芳，1989，委婉语新探，《外国语》第三期。
杨德峰，2001，《汉语与文化交际》，北京大学出版社。
于亚伦，1984，当代英语委婉语初探，《外语学刊》第二期。
张拱贵，1996，《汉语委婉语辞典》，北京语言文化大学出版社。
张字平、姜艳平、于年湖，1998，《委婉语》，新华出版社。
朱岐新、张秀桂，1998，《中国文化集锦》，旅游教育出版社。
Crystal, David. 1987. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge University Press.
Enright, D.J. (ed.) 1985. Fair of Speech—The Uses of Euphemism. Oxford University Press.
Goffmann. 1972. Communication in Face to Face Interaction. Penguin.
Hudson, R.A. 1980. Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Jenny Thomas. 1995. Meaning in Interaction: an Introduction to Pragmatics. Longman.
Leech G. 1983. Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman.
Neaman, J.S. & Silver, C.G. 1983. A Theasurus of Euphemisms. New York: Facts On File World Publishing Corp.
Rawson, H. 1981. A Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk. Crown Publishers New York.
Ronald Wardhaugh. 1998. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Searle, J. 1979. Meaning and Expression. Cambridge University Press.
Widdowson, H.G.1990. Aspects of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.
白解红，2000，《性别语言文化与语用研究》，湖南教育出版社。
陈原，1980，《语言与社会生活》，生活、读书、新知三联书店，北京。
邓炎昌、刘润清，1989，《语言与文化》，外语教学与研究出版社。
杜学增，2001，《中英文化习俗比较》，外语教学与研究出版社。
顾嘉祖，1990，《语言与文化》，上海外语教育出版社。
何兆熊，2000，《新编语用学概要》，上海外语教育出版社。
李国南，1989，英语中的委婉语，《外国语》第三期。
刘纯豹，2001，《英语委婉语辞典》，商务印书馆。
束定芳，1989，委婉语新探，《外国语》第三期。
杨德峰，2001，《汉语与文化交际》，北京大学出版社。
于亚伦，1984，当代英语委婉语初探，《外语学刊》第二期。
张拱贵，1996，《汉语委婉语辞典》，北京语言文化大学出版社。
张字平、姜艳平、于年湖，1998，《委婉语》，新华出版社。
朱岐新、张秀桂，1998，《中国文化集锦》，旅游教育出版社。