An Analysis Of Errors In The Use Of Chinese Euphemisms In Chinese

As a means of expression in Chinese, Euphemism has a close relation with society and culture which is subject to integrations with language contexts and cultural backgrounds. Because of the lack of language environment, foreign students often make mistakes in their daily communication.Based on the definition of euphemism, this thesis focused on its pragmatic principle and social function. According to the analysis of the foreign students’ questionnaires on the usage of euphemism, the author summarized the types of error made by foreign students from the perspective of semantics and cultural backgrounds and proposed solving methods. Sementic errors consist4types:the omission in the use of euphemism similar in the meaning, the redundancy in the use of euphemism similar in the meaning, the wrong use from the negative transfer of native language, and the mistake from the failure in the understanding of euphemism. Negative transfer of native language culture and the misusage of grammar lead to cultural errors.All theories come from practice and guide practice. Therefore, this thesis aims to study the effective methods in euphemism teaching based on the analysis of the related theories. It is concluded in this paper that, as far as the methods of the euphemism teaching are concerned, four elements as follows should be taken into account:the independence of euphemism teaching in the textbooks and class arrangements, the use of contextual effects, the contrast between Chinese and foreign culture, and the time evolution of euphemism teaching.