Semantic And Pragmatic Study Of Euphemism

In the light of human language, euphemism originates Word Fetishism in the early stage of human civilization. It's the later linguistic fact that euphemism serves as a rhetorical device. The thesis focuses on in-depth study on semantics and pragmatics in euphemism, inquiring in the features of euphemism, the relation between euphemism and its referent, the communicative functions of euphemism, and the pragmatic problems that will be confronted during communication with euphemism.The relation between euphemism and its referent in semantic sense is examined firstly: semantic equivalence, semantic interrelation, and semantic generalization, which analyzes the means of euphemism formation meanwhile from the angle of rhetoric, for euphemism is a rhetorical device in itself. The analysis on semantic features of euphemism: fuzzy and glorifying, provides the reason for why euphemism is the successful substitute of its referent. Associative meaning of euphemism is illustrated for the sake of in-depth understanding of the total composite effect of linguistic communication with the use of euphemism. Connotative meaning of euphemism indicates different social value sense and national psychology reflected by euphemism's national value; affective meaning of euphemism makes it tend to be a commendatory term due to semantic glorification; the two rules under the control of reflected meaning play the decisive role in the metabolism of euphemism; collocational meaning makes clear the connection between euphemism and context; in the explanation of social meaning, dialects in euphemism, the feature of timeliness of euphemism and the tendency of calling a spade a spade as well as the register ofeuphemism are presented.The explanation on the application of both idiomatic euphemism and temporary euphemism offers evidence to the dependence of euphemism on situation, while situation itself is the mutual basis of pragmatics and rhetoric. Though it resulted initially from dread and worship, euphemism is the product of politeness, symbol of civilization in modern times. With the exposition of its function, euphemism proves to be more a communicative means than a rhetorical device, which is determined by its semantic features. Euphemism follows polite principle, and the frequent violence of cooperative principle in daily linguistic communication is often from the angle of politeness with the use of euphemism; on the contrary, the production and formation of euphemism is often resulted from the violence of cooperative principle.In attempt to make a thorough and careful study, lots of examples from different times and areas, from daily life, social life, and different works are cited in the thesis, which gives a vivid description of euphemism.