On English And Chinese Euphemisms In Cross-cultural Communication

Euphemism, which is frequently used in both English and Chinese, is a linguistic phenomenon as well as a cultural one. As a common means of language use, euphemism reflects the characteristics of a society or a nation. In a sense, without proper application of euphemism, communication would be impossible. Euphemism has become one of the major subjects of cross-cultural studies since people are becoming more and more aware of its significance.This thesis begins by describing the definitions, origins, history and classifications of euphemism. Then it makes a contrastive study of English and Chinese euphemisms as well as an analysis of the adaptability of euphemism. It points out that the process of using language is an interactive process between linguistic structures and context. Then, from a cross-cultural perspective, it studies the forms and cultural contents of English and Chinese euphemisms. It proposes that Chinese and Western cultural differences lead to a lot of differences between English and Chinese euphemisms. Through the study of these differences, we'll be able to understand the far-reaching cultural implications behind the euphemisms, deepen our understanding of English and Chinese languages and cultures, and improve our cross-cultural communicative competence.