英汉委婉语的用法与比较

1、英汉委婉语的用法与比较摘要：委婉语（euphemism）是人类语言使用过程中的一种普遍现象，既是人们所谈论的那些令人不快或尴尬的事情说使用的较为礼貌的说法，它是一种修辞学，更是一种文化现象。与此同时，传统的委婉语与禁忌语密切相关，像生、老、病、死、葬、性、拉、撒等禁忌事物，如果直接表达的话就会给人们以粗鄙、生硬、刺耳、无礼的感觉；反之，间接表达的话就会给人以典雅、含蓄、中听、有礼的印象，这是我们就要用到委婉语。然而各国文化传统的差异又决定了委婉语的表达和程度的深浅之间的差异。关键词：委婉语构成方法 隐喻法 缩略法 替代法 模糊词语法 迂回法 情态动词法一 英汉委婉语的构成方法：委婉语作为一种词

2、格，既是一种手段又是一种目的，大量的委婉语运用了各式样的构成方法。1. 英语中的委婉语的构成方法1.1 隐喻法 隐喻是在两个不同的对象之间的比喻，它与明喻不同的地方是隐喻不用比喻词，直接把文体说成喻体。for example: to die: to pass away, to be with god, go to sleep foreverillegitimate child（私生子）: love child（因爱而来的孩子）在隐喻中人们通常能感受到力量，又能感受到鲜明，尤其是细节的力量和鲜明，而且往往伴随着感情和态度的表达。1.2 缩略法英国人在交流过程中，为了表示礼貌和避免刺激会将禁忌词语

3、或敏感词语的第一个字母抽出来并且拼在一起来表达所要说的话。for example: bm: bowel movement bo: body odorwc: water closet1.3 替代法有时为了避免尴尬或是不愉快人们会使用褒义词来形容某个人或事物。for example：skinny: slimugly: ordinary lookingunwise：stupid1.4模糊词语法例如当讲一个未婚女孩子怀孕或生小孩时，人们可能会说：she has an accident. 用accident来模糊所要表达的话语，它可以指预料之外的事情。又如可以用affair来表示桃色事情，weasel

4、word 来表达强词夺理。1.5迂回法人们对于无伤大雅，令人不快的话通常会才用迂回法来拐弯抹角的表达意思，其目的主要是使谈话变得更加文雅。例如: in order to substantiate our desire to accommodate our guests we would appreciate your cooperation to anticipate your credit requirements before departure.其实主要是说如果你想要付现金的话请离开之前告诉我们。又如：a girl sit near the window said: is it cold

5、?从她的话语中我们不难看出她是希望关上窗子。thank you for not smoking here.比smoking is forbidden here. 来的更具有亲和力和建设性。 1.6 借助情态动词法英语中有时我们也可以借助一些情态动词来构成委婉语，如：wonder, would, should等，是表达更易被对方接受以及采纳。for example: i would like to hear your idea.i wonder if you can pass the drink to me.除此之外，我们通常还会使用儿语法来充当委婉语，因为孩子讲话天真无暇，当大人模仿儿语时，有

6、时会更加幽默，委婉语除了被用在日常交际中还会被运用在广告中，如：walking. to you, it is a simple matter of putting one foot in front of another.2. 汉语中的委婉语的构成方法2.1 隐喻法在汉语中我们也常常会用到隐喻法，例如当我们说一个人死了我们会说某人长眠了，安息了或是说去见马克思了。用星星陨落来比喻某位伟大领袖的去世。这样表达可以使听着避免伤心或者惋惜的情绪。2.2 缩略法为了避免不愉快，或表示礼貌又或者是掩饰某些东西，人们通常就会省略一些词汇。例如: 行将就木中“木”是棺木2.3替代法在汉语中我们会用美味亨调师

7、来表示厨师，用家具装潢设计师来表示住房装修工，用相貌平平或者不太漂亮来表达丑陋，这样一来虽然没有实质性的改变这些职位的地位却至少能够减轻心理上的不适。2.4 模糊词语法使用模糊词语法可以使一些不中听的话语变得抽象，笼统或者模棱两可。例如：我们用发福，富态来表达发胖；他出了问题来表示他出来意外。2.5 迂回法有时迂回法具有讽刺的效果，例如孔乙己中，人们常笑话孔乙己：孔乙己，你的脸上又添新伤疤了。“又添新伤疤”其实是迂回讽刺他又挨打了。2.6 情态动词法汉语中也会常常用到情态动词，例如可以、能够、希望等来表达婉转的意愿，希望对方与予肯定的回答。例如: 你可以帮我递一下架子上的书吗？我希望你读书小点

8、声。此外，我们还可以用歇后语来表示委婉的语气，当人们在做一些消极的评论时，常借助一些歇后语来缓冲过于直白的语气，从而达到委婉的目的。例如：猪八戒的脊梁无能之背，“背”通“辈”。二英汉委婉语的比较经过学习英语与汉语的委婉语的主要构成法，例如隐喻法，缩略法，替代法，模糊词语法，迂回法和情态动词法，我们发现它们之间友许多的相似性，只是偶尔表达出来的褒贬性有些许差异，但总的来说都为我们的语言增添了色彩，而且通常我们说语言是文化的载体，不同的语言可以反映了不同的民族特定的文化风貌，思维方式和价值观念。委婉语的使用体现了不同的民族性格，不同的审美情趣和不同的宗教意识。三 结语由英语与汉语中的委婉语的用法与

9、比较中，我们可以看出英汉两种语言中有许多共同的禁忌和委婉的说法，但是由于各国文化间的差异和语言的特点，委婉语又各有特色。有些人认为委婉语是虚伪的，太客套了，但从心里上来讲，它又是必要的，它伴随着社会生活的进行而存在，因此了解这些委婉语的相似处和差异性有助于我们中西方之间更紧密和谐的联系与发展。参考文献：英汉委婉语浅谈 黄兵 外语教育出版社现代英语修辞学 胡曙中 上海外国语教育出版社中英文化习俗比较 胡适中 上海外国语教育出版社英汉词汇学教程 汪榕培 卢晓娟 上海外国语出版社英汉委婉语的分析比较与翻译尹彬、邓凯元 外语教学研究the use of english and comparative

10、euphemism abstract: euphemism (euphemism) is in the process of human language to use a universal phenomenon, not only those people are talking about something unpleasant or embarrassing that use the more polite way, it is a rhetoric, it is akinds of cultural phenomena.at the same time, the tradition

11、al euphemism is closely related with the taboo words, such as birth, old age, sickness, death, burial, sex, pull, and threw other taboo things, if they would have to direct expression of the people to coarse, blunt, harsh, nosense of ceremony; the other hand, indirect expression, they would give an

12、elegant, subtle and pleasant to the ear, the impression of courtesy, which we will use the euphemism.however, the differences in cultural tradition in turn determines the degree of euphemism depth of expression and the difference between.keywords: euphemism thumbnail method instead of method metapho

13、r of fuzzy words of indirect method modal verb lawone.english euphemism methods:euphemism as a word lattice, both a means and an end, a euphemism for the use of a large number of various styles of composition methods.1. english euphemism method1.1 the metaphormetaphor is the object in between two di

14、fferent metaphor, it is a simile metaphor of different parts of the word metaphor do not directly say that the style vehicles.for example: to die: to pass away, to be with god, go to sleep foreverillegitimate child (illegitimate): love child (due to love from the children)in the metaphor that people

15、 often feel the power, but also feel the sharp, especially the details of the strength and distinctive, and often accompanied by the expression of feelings and attitudes.1.2 abbreviated methodbritish exchange process, in order to avoid the stimulus that will be polite and sensitive taboo words or th

16、e first letter of words taken out and fight together to express the say.for example: bm: bowel movementbo: body odorwc: water closet1.3 substitutionsometimes in order to avoid embarrassment or unpleasant that people will use commendatory term to describe a person or thing.for example: skinny: slimug

17、ly: ordinary lookingunwise: stupidfuzzy words of 1.4for example, when speaking of a single pregnancy or a baby girl, people might say: she has an accident. by accident to blur the words to express, it can mean something unexpected.another example can be used to represent the peach affair thing, weas

18、el word to express a lame argument.1.5 circuitous methodpeople for the harmless, if unpleasant roundabout method is usually used to beat around the bush before the expression of meaning, its main purpose is to make the conversation even more elegant.for example: in order to substantiate our desire t

19、o accommodate our guests we would appreciate your cooperation to anticipate your credit requirements before departure.it is mainly that if you want to pay cash, then please tell us before you leave.another example: a girl sit near the window said: is it cold?from her words we can easily see that she

20、 hoped to close the window.thank you for not smoking here. than smoking is forbidden here. to the more affinity and constructive.1.6 act with modal verbssometimes in english we can help some of the modal verb to form the euphemisms, such as: wonder, would, should, are expressed more easily accepted

21、and adopted by the other party.for example: i would like to hear your idea.i wonder if you can pass the drink to me.in addition, we also often use the children to act as a euphemism syntax, because the child immaculate speech, language when children imitate adults, sometimes more humorous euphemism

22、addition to being used in daily communication will be used in advertising, such as: walking. to you, it is a simple matter of putting one foot in front of another.2. chinese of euphemisms method2.1 metaphorin chinese, we often use metaphors, such as when we say we will say that a dead person buried,

23、 the rest of the meet, or that marx was.stars fall to describe someone with a great leaders death.this expression can avoid listening to sad or sorry for the emotions.2.2 abbreviated methodto avoid unpleasant, or that polite or hide something, people usually will skip some words.for example: dying i

24、n the wood is a coffin2.3 substitutionin chinese, we will use to represent the division transferred hang delicious chef, interior designer furniture to home renovation work that, with the plain ugly or not pretty to express, so that although there is no substantial change in the status of these jobs

25、 areat least to reduce the psychological discomfort.fuzzy words of 2.4method using fuzzy terms to make some unpleasant words become abstract, vague or ambiguous.for example: we use fat, fat-rich state to express; a problem to him that he came out unexpectedly.2.5 circuitous methodironically, sometim

26、es the effect of indirect methods, such as ji, people often joke ji: ji, you have added a new scar on the face.adds a new scar is actually ironic that he has beaten the roundabout.2.6 law of modal verbsalso often used in chinese modal verbs, for example, can hope to express such wishes mildly, and i

27、 want them answered in the affirmative.for example: you can help me on the shelf delivery of what book?i hope you read the small point of sound.in addition, we can use to represent the euphemistic tone twisters, when people do some negative comments, often with a number of twisters to the tone of th

28、e buffer is too straightforward, so as to achieve the purpose of euphemism.for example: the backbone of the pig - incompetence of the back, back links generation.ii.english euphemismafter learning english and chinese euphemism for the main components method, such as metaphor, abbreviations, surrogat

29、e, fuzzy word method, indirect method and the modal verb method, we found that many among them friends of the similarities, only occasionally expressedthe judgments of some differences, but in general are to add color to our language, and often we say that language is the carrier of culture, different languages can reflect the different ethnic-specific cultural features, ways of thinking and values.the use of euphemism reflects a different national character, different aesthetics and different religious consciousness.