关于委婉语的定义

委婉语是交际中一种与直接语相对应而存在的普遍语言现象。关于委婉语的传统研究 ,英语主要限于与禁忌语相对待的范围 ;汉语则主要是看作辞格系统中的一种方式。事实上 ,委婉语是在语境的制约和作用下、体现交际主体心理需要而产生的 ,表达者不直说本意 ,而选用具有与直接语所指或含义相同的“说法”来替换表达的一种语言现象。根据是否具有约定俗成的语义特点 ,委婉语系统由规范委婉语和变异委婉语构成。

The Definition about the Euphemism

The euphemism is a kind of common linguistic phenomenon which exists relatively to direct speech. With regard to the study of euphemism, it is limited to the range in related to taboo in English, while in Chinese euphemism is treated as a kind of rhetorical device. In fact, the euphemism takes shape with the interact or influence of speech situation, to express a mental need of the communicative subject and speakers who use it wouldn't express their ideas directly, but choose an indirect expression with the same meaning. According to whether it is with a given semantic characteristic, euphemism can be classified into normative euphemism and a variant euphemism.