Contextual Adaptation Of Diplomatic Euphemism

Studies on euphemism have always been flourishing because of its universality. Those studies have embraced different theoretical frameworks and approaches: rhetoric, semantic, stylistic and pragmatic approaches, but researches on diplomatic euphemism used in a specific field like the press conference turn out to be lack of due attention. Based upon Adaptation Theory, the thesis attempts to conduct a qualitative research on the contextual adaptation of diplomatic euphemism used in the English interpretation of Sino-foreign press conference with specific examples. The research purpose is to analyze the elements and process of contextual adaptation in the course of using diplomatic euphemism.As to research method, firstly, materials chosen for the analysis are collected from the official website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China. In total, fifty pieces of English interpretation scripts of Sino-foreign press conferences from January to July of the year 2008 are selected from the website. Secondly, all types of euphemism are picked out in accordance with three sampling criteria: distance principle, relevance principle and sweet-sounding principle, which are constructing principles of euphemism concluded on the basis of semantic relatedness in semiotics. In the fifty pieces of English interpretation scripts, a totality of 350 question-answer conversations is counted, among which euphemistic expressions add up to 137 pieces. After being singled out, the euphemistic expressions are categorized and presented at lexical, rhetorical and grammatical levels.With the description of all the euphemistic expressions at the three levels, the thesis first probes into the concrete contextual elements that diplomatic euphemism adapts to in the mental, social and physical worlds. Next, the thesis further explores the process of how the diplomatic euphemism adapts to the contextual elements, which can be specifically stated as: Restriction of the contextual elements on diplomatic euphemism and reconstruction of diplomatic euphemism on the contextual elements. The research has the following findings: 1) in the mental world, the spokesperson makes adaptation to the speaker's psychological motivation composed of two aspects: one is self-defense, which can be specified as maintaining good image of the spokesperson and that of China in the international community, and the other is politeness, exactly referring to satisfying the face wants of the journalists and face wants of any party involved in the press conference; 2) in the social world, the spokesperson makes adaptation to social circumstances including maintaining good bilateral relationships and creating favorable international environment, and adaptation to conventions in Sino-foreign press conference, namely, expressing the standpoint and evading negative or sensitive topics; 3) the thesis reveals adaptation to two typical contextual elements in the physical world related to Sino-foreign press conference: time and the mass media; 4) restriction of the contextual elements on diplomatic euphemism is realized by bringing the relevant contextual elements into the common line of vision of the utterer and interpreter. On the circumstances of Sino-foreign press conference, the major restrictive contextual elements in the mental, social and physical worlds are separately intention and desire of language user, social relationship and circumstances, time and place; 5) reconstruction of diplomatic euphemism on the mental, social and physical worlds is realized in both direct and indirect ways.In view of the significance, the thesis enriches the study of euphemism from a pragmatic perspective that comprehensively takes into account the social, mental and physical elements, provides for the public a better understanding of euphemism in diplomatic activities, and sheds light on the application of other linguistic phenomena under the conceptual framework of Adaptation Theory.