A Pragmatic Analysis Of English Euphemisms

Euphemism is a common linguistic phenomenon in the English language, as well as a cultural one. Research on English euphemisms in the pragmatic domain will certainly be helpful to the comprehension and application of euphemistic expressions in interaction.The thesis attempts a pragmatic analysis of English euphemisms in the light of the Cooperative Principle (the CP) and the Face Theory (the FT), with the aim of seeking sufficient evidence to test the hypothesis: while using English euphemisms in interaction, speakers do not cooperate because they need to preserve the face (especially the positive face) of one or more parties concerned.The thesis is divided into five chapters:Chapter One, the introduction, presents the research hypothesis, rationale, methodology and the organization of the thesis. Chapter Two reviews the literature on the definition and formation of euphemisms, the relationship with taboos, various methods of classification, and the history and evolution of English euphemisms. Chapter Three discusses the pragmatic features of English euphemisms. In this chapter, I first point out the motives of euphemizing, which include 1) evading taboos, 2) showing politeness, 3) beautification, and 4) disguising, and then follow up with a discussion concerning the four main characteristics of euphemisms, namely, 1) universality, 2) cultural specificity, 3) obscurity, and 4) diachrony. Chapter Four offers a pragmatic analysis followed by a discussion of English euphemisms. The Cooperative Principle and the Face Theory are first of all reviewed, followed by application of these two pragmatic theories to eleven categories of euphemistic expressions selected from my collection. The results verify the hypothesis and furthermore conclude that by use of English euphemisms, the addresser flouts the CP in order to preserve the positive face of one or more parties concerned in interaction. Chapter Five is the conclusion.