Reflections on English Verbal Taboos and Euphemisms.doc
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1、Reflections on English Verbal Taboos and Euphemisms【摘要】 任何一种文化中都存在禁忌语。它指社会希望避免提及的某些行为,物体或关系 用来表述这些事物的语言就称为禁忌语。禁忌语一般与性,超自然或死亡相联。人们常用委婉语代替禁忌语,例如好多表述人体生理功能或与死亡相关的词。人们在交谈中,如果对禁忌语一无所知,很可能就会惹恼对方。从这个意义上讲,禁忌语就显得尤为重要了,在跨文化交流中则更是如此。国际间的交流日益频繁,但是具有不同文化背景的群体沟通起来还是有一定困难的。本文就禁忌语和委婉语进行探讨,以帮助不同文化背景的人在跨文化交际中加深彼此的了解。
2、【关键词】 跨文化交际 禁忌语 委婉语【abstract】 verbal taboos exist in all known cultures, referring to certain acts, objects or relationships which society wishes to avoid - and thus the language used to talk about them. verbal taboos are generally related to sex, the supernatural and death among others. the usual w
3、ay of coping with taboo words and notions is to develop euphemisms and circumscriptions, such as many words and phrases to express basic biological functions, or to talk about death. to know little about these, one may irritate others when he is communicating with people. in this sense, verbal taboo
4、s and euphemisms are of great significance, especially in intercultural communication . people from different countries communicate with each other more and more frequently. anyhow, there are still problems for people with different cultural backgrounds to understand each other. in this paper, verba
5、l taboos and euphemisms are discussed to help strengthen understanding between people of different cultures in the course of intercultural communication.【key words】 intercultural communication verbal aboos uphemism introductionintercultural communication is a branch of communication. it draws theori
6、es, concepts and methods from communication, sociology, psychology, social psychology, cultural anthropology, journalism, philosophy, history, ethnography, and international relations. thus it is an interdisciplinary subject. intercultural communication originated in the united states. edward halls
7、monologue “the silent language” published in 1959 signifies the emergence of this discipline. since the 1970s it has been popular in the united states and other western countries. it was introduced to the chinese scholars in the 1980s.intercultural communication, as its name implies, is concerned wi
8、th communication among people from different cultural backgrounds. since the second world war science and technology, especially communications and telecommunications, have been developing very quickly .the world is becoming smaller and smaller. statesmen, academics, business men, artists and others
9、 often find it necessary to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds.however, different cultures may favor different social institutions, value systems, and worldviews. moreover, the beliefs, behavioral patens, customs, and habits of the people from different countries may be diff
10、erent. these cultural differences or contrasts may hinder intercultural communication. intercultural communication is meant to provide guidance for those people who are frequently engaged in intercultural communication. thus it is an applied discipline in nature, though it has accumulated a consider
11、able body of theories and statements on intercultural communication.intercultural communication mainly deals with verbal and nonverbal interaction and related factors in intercultural communication. the medium of verbal interaction is language. the culture rich linguistic items and their uses in par
12、ticular interest scholars of intercultural communication. the medium of nonverbal interaction is mainly what is commonly called nonverbal communication system, including body language; gestures, facial expressions, distance held between interlocutors, etc.intercultural communication is becoming more
13、 and more frequent in today environment. people have to communicate with others with different cultural backgrounds from different groups or from different countries. in order to avoid troubles and misunderstandings in communication and make the communication be effective, and furthermore, to streng
14、then the understanding and cooperation of different groups so as to make people of different cultures from different countries live in a peaceful environment, people should know more about intercultural communication.in this paper, english verbal taboos are discussed. as a foreign language learner,
15、one must know more about the culture and history of the language. then one can know what to say and how to express politely and effectively when communicate with the native speakers. of course, taboos should be avoided to be mentioned. otherwise, one cannot continue the talking, let alone communicat
16、e effectively. even he may be ready for fighting.anyhow, in most of the situations, people dont mention it purposely. they just dont know the taboos. however; it is still not appropriate to mention those taboos before native speakers. for one must respect the culture of the nation when he uses the l
17、anguage of the nation. therefore, to know more about taboos and euphemisms is helpful to communicate politely and effectively.2 verbal taboosanything which is prohibited by?religion, tradition or social usage is a taboo. there are behavioral and verbal taboos: what one cannot do or say without?offen
18、ding others. in this paper, verbal taboos are the focus.in verbal communication we use euphemisms to avoid mentioning directly something unpleasant or offensive. but some words or expressions are to be avoided because tradition or social customs strongly frowns on their use and some topics are to be
19、 avoided because they are prohibited by tradition or social customs. these words, expressions and topics constitute verbal taboos.there are verbal taboos in, perhaps, all languages. but each language has developed and is used in a culture that may have its own traditions and social customs. it is on
20、ly natural that different languages may have different taboos. not knowing what are taboos in the language one is learning, one may cause strong disapproval by merely using a certain word or mentioning a certain topic. so it is important for the learner of english to acquaint himself with taboos in
21、english. excreta and the acts of human excretion in both english and chinese, excreta and the acts of human excretion are to be avoided in polite conversations. in english, if they have to be mentioned, the terms or expressions should be euphemistic ones. in western countries, one should not say go
22、to the toilet when he actually go there. instead, he says he will leave for a moment in the rest room or washroom. in chinese, they are also taboos, but the chinese attitude is less strict, and sometimes one may hear people say in serious public talk or conversation.2. body and sexual intercourse1ce
23、rtain parts of the body and sexual intercourse are taboos in both english and chinese. in the united states, however, the sexual revolution in the 1960s and 70s changed this somewhat. the tendency in english speaking countries in recent years is toward a freer, more open attitude. thus to make love
24、and to have sex, etc. are not at all uncommon in writing now. francisca, the heroin of the bridges of the madison country, even wrote to tell her grown-up children that she had made love with a man who was not their father. even though it is an episode in a literary work, it should be acceptable to
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