19
show disapproval of things, as Allan 1991
12
stated that dysphemism is an expression with connotations that are offensive either about the
denotatum or to audience, or both, and it is substituted for neutral or euphemistic expression for just that reason.
The purposes of euphemism are to present words of good omen, to avoid unlucky words in which metaphysical harm may befall either
speaker or hearer, and to prevent hearer from losing face by offending his sensibilities.
For Examples, Euphemism words to cite intimacy for sexual intercourse, pass away for die, rest room for toilet room, pre-owned
vehicle for used car, the big C for cancer, custodian for janitor. Other euphemisms used to avoid mildly distasteful words are -we II have
to let you go replacing youre fired, take industrial action instead of strike, life insurance replacing insurance for when you are dead, do you
drink? goes to a policeman to know whether he will take a bribe and so forth. In short, euphemism is an alternative to unpleasant expression, and
is used in order to avoid possible loss efface.
2. Types of Euphemism
Many euphemisms that are figurative can be formed through several ways, such as:
13
12
Keith Allan kate Burridge1991. op. cit. 13
13
Keith Allan Kate Burridge 1991 op cit. 23
20
a. Metaphor is speakers utterance meaning which is in commonly implicit and replaces the literal meaning, for example.: the cavalrys
come replaces Iv got my period, go to the hunting ground for die b. Rhyming slang exists in whistle and flute for suit, groan and grunt
for cunt c. Remodelling is the way of replacing part of the word like sugar, shoot,
And shucks for shit, tarnation for damnation darn, dang, and drat for Dam
d. Circumlocution is a roundabout way of talking often includes in metaphor or metonymy. It is common in the form of listeme
compound or idiom Like little girl’s room for “toilet and categorical inaccuracy or Terminology inexactitude for lie,
e. Clippings is the euphemisms starting off with a modifying word then the modifier is dropped as the phrase ceases to be euphemistic,
consider: mentally deranged deranged and lunatic asylum asylum, Jeeze for Jesus, bra for brassiere,
f. Abbreviations are written and pronounced as strings of letters like
S.O.B for Son of a Bitch or pee for piss also... instead of printing fuck,
g. Acronyms are written and pronounced as words in their own right like snafu for situation formal, all fucked up or commfu complete
monumental military fuck up,
21
h. Omissions fall into: 1 Quasi- omission substitutes some non-lexical expression for the
dispreferred term into dashes and asteriks like mmm, er-mm, and soon.
2 Full-omission seems less common than quasi-omissions found need to go by omitting to the lavatory.
i. One-for-one substitution is almost synonym and consists of two:
1 Metonymy general-for-specific: one name exchange for another like the legal term person for pennies and region for genitals,
2 Synecdoche part-for-whole euphemism means to take with something else demonstrated in spend a penny for go to the
lavatory and Ive got a cough may occasionally ignore the accompanying stuffed up nose, postnasal drip, and running nose
j. Hyperbole: overstatement, exaggeration are found in euphemism like
home meaning house, flight to glory for death k.
Understatement litotes like sleep for die, deed for act of murder. It is used to emphasis and to negate the opposite of what we wish to
convey . l.
Euphemism through borrowing The use of foreign language Latin, France etc is considered to
counteract taboo terms such as bodily effluvia, sex, and the associated acts and bodily organs. The use of perspire instead of sweat,
expectorate instead of spit defecate and feces instead of shit, genitals instead of sex organ, vagina instead of cunt
22
According to httpwww.wikipedia.orgwikiEuphemismsee_also many euphemisms fall into these categories:
14
a. Terms of foreign and technical origin such as.: copulation, perspire, Urinate
b. Abbreviation such as.: BS for Bullshit, TS for Tough Shit c. Abstraction such as.: it, the situation, go left the company, do it
d. Indirectness such as: behind, unmentionable, privates, live together, go to the bathroom, sleep together.
e. mispronunciation such as: freakin, goldarnit f.
Plays on abbreviation such as.: barbecue sauce for bullshit, Maryland farmer for motherfucker, sugar honey ice tea for
shit g. Phonetic alphabet such as: Foxtrot for fuck, bravo, sierra for
bullshit Then, Enright 1985:
15
classified types of euphemism into: substitution, rhyming slang, abbreviation, acronyms, circumlocution,
litotes understatement, indirectness, lightly imaginative language, and synonym. All these types are similar to above types, for lightly
imaginative language is the same as metaphor in which they screen the unlucky words in imaginative way. And synonym can be classified into
metonymy and synecdoche since both of them are actually almost synonym.
14
August.2007. httpwww.wikipedia.orgwikiEuphemismsee_also. P.114
15
D.J. Enright, Fair of Speech: The Use of Euphemism New York: Oxford University Press,1985 p.17-27.
23
From all the explanation above, the writer can describe types of euphemism as follows:
Metaphor Rhyming slang
Remodeling Abbreviation
Acronyms Omission
quasi - omission Types of euphemism
Full omission Substitution
metonymy Synecdoche
Hyperbole Understatement
Borrowing Abstraction
Indirectness Mispronunciation
Plays on abbreviation Phonetic alphabet
3. Taboo Words
