Abstract

Euphemism is a kind of special language phenomenon, mixed together with other languages in human society, referring to a kind of language expression that people often employed by using an implied and implicit expressions to show their genuine thoughts indirectly. This thesis is based on the studies of English euphemism, aiming to study the pragmatic functions such as avoidance of taboo, conceal of truth and humor function from the perspective of social psychology such as psychology of fear, cover-up, compensation and humor. 

Key words : euphemism; pragmatic functions; social psychology

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Purpose and significance of the research-1

1.2 Structure of the thesis-2

2. Literature Review-3

2.1 Definitions-4

2.1.1 Definition of pragmatic functions-4

2.1.2 Definition of euphemism-4

2.1.3 Definition of social psychology-6

2.2 Theoretical framework of the thesis-7

2.2.1 Grice's Cooperative Principle-7

2.2.2 Leech's Politeness Principle-8

2.2.3 Brown&Levinson's Face Theory-8

2.3 Current situation at home and abroad-9

3. Analysis of Social Psychology Phenomenon-11

3.1 Psychology of fear-11

3.2 Psychology of cover-up-12

3.3 Psychology of compensation-13

3.4 Psychology of humor-14

4. Pragmatic functions of Euphemism-15

4.1 Avoidance of taboo-15

4.2 Conceal of truth-16

4.3 Expression of politeness-17

4.4 Humor and Satire Function-18

5. Conclusion-19

References-21