Unit 13 TEXT I

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Unit 13
TEXT I

• EUPHEMISM
• Neil Postman

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Pre-reading Questions

• 1. What is euphemism? Can you give some
  examples both in English and in Chinese
  languages? (Lib. W.)
• 2. Do you think the use of euphemisms makes our
  language more pleasant?

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Definition

• (Pre-rd) the substitution of a mild, indirect,
  or vague expression for one thought to be
  offensively harsh or blunt.
• Ency. Bri. (CD, 98) the substitution of an
  agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that
  may offend or suggest something unpleasant.

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Definition

• NEC (Book 4) (an example of) the use of a
  pleasanter, less direct name for something
  thought to be unpleasant.
• or, the substitution of a mild
  or vague expression for a harsh or blunt one.
  The word is derived from a Greek word meaning to
  speak favorably. The Greek prefix eu- means
  well.

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Euphemism

• 1. Euphemisms are used to replace words
  associated with subjects that are sensitive or
  taboo, such as death, sex, madness and so on.
  e.g. we avoid saying He died last night, but
  say instead passed away, join his maker,
  left us, kicked the bucket.

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Euphemism

• 2. Sometimes euphemisms are employed out of
  politeness. The words we use to refer to our
  natural bodily functions are generally
  euphemisms. The word lavatory is itself a
  euphemism, derived from the Latin lavatorium
  meaning a place for washing. The American word
  rest-room is another example. Offal(Brit) or
  inside (US) is used to refer to a pigs
  stomach, liver, or lungs. Such euphemisms may be
  stylistically permissible if they are kept
  within limits.

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Euphemism

• 3. Euphemisms are also used by politicians and
  advertisers to hide reality from us. Euphemisms
  of this kind often lead to a distortion of style
  and meaning because they tend to be used to
  defend practices that would sound ugly and brutal
  in plain words. As George Orwell pointed out in
  his essay Politics and the English language

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Euphemism

• In our time, political speech and writing are
  largely the defense of the indefensible. Thus
  political language has to consist largely of
  euphemisms. Defenseless village are bombarded
  from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the
  countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts
  set on fire this is called pacification.

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Euphemism

• And a motorcar becomes a symphony of speed and
  style by the advertisers.
• Other examples
• at liberty - out of work, senior citizen -
  old people, in the family way - pregnant,
• burier - undertaker, mortician, prison -
  correctional institution,
• ????????????????(??),????(?)????????????(??)??
  ?(??)

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

• 1. What is the definition of euphemism according
  to the author?
• ... as an auspicious or exalted term (like
  sanitation engineer) that is used in place of a
  more down-to-earth term (like garbage man).
• auspicious or exalted favorable or
  dignified, glorified, raising the status of a man
  referred to
• more down-to-earth factual, telling what
  something actually is

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

• Why is a term like garbage man down-to-earth, and
  sanitation engineer auspicious or exalted? (3-2)
• Garbage man is a man cleaning the garbage,
  which is factual, telling what something actually
  is. But by using sanitation engineer, the same
  man cleaning the garbage seems to become an
  engineer, which is a more glorified term.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

• 2. People who are partial to ... really talking
  about.
• Euphemism-prone people are subject to the
  charge that they are insincere.
• People dont believe them as well as what
  they talk about.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

• 3. What is the example given in this para. to
  illustrate it?
• Operation Sunshine a pretty name for the
  experiments with the hydrogen bomb in the South
  Pacific, which actually bring a lot of harms to
  the surrounding areas. This is an immoral act,
  but by giving this pretty name, the govt. tried
  to expunge the hideous imagery that the bomb
  evokes. The name is pretty, but the reality is
  ugly.
• This sort of process ... is such a bad name.
  (this is why euphemism has such a bad
  connotation People who are partial to ...
  really talking about.)

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

• 4. What is G.Orwells opinion on euphemism?
• (Note 1) Politicians prefer to euphemisms.
  Their speech and writing consist largely of
  euphemisms, trying to make some brutal reality
  vague, etc. e.g. British rule in India, the
  Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of
  the atom bomb on Japan, the Japanese invasion of
  the Asian countries (????????).

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

• 5. What is the function of the last sentences?
• Transition, guiding the reader to the next
  para., telling them what will be talked about
  next.
• 6. What is this para. about?
• a common definition, euphemism has got a bad
  name.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 2

• 1. How do you understand Things do not have
  real names? Can you give examples? (3-3, 4)
• The meaning of the majority of words is
  arbitrary and conventional thus words are no
  more than labels given to things.
• The name of an object was given in the
  ancient times. It has been handed down through
  generations so that it becomes conventional.
  Names are symbols of the things. They can be
  changed.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 2

• If we first called the man cleaning garbage some
  other name instead of garbage man or sanitation
  engineer, that would be OK. If we called the
  animal we call pig now shrimp, it would become
  a shrimp, and vice versa. So are the names of
  lumbering elephant for an automobile, and
  perfume for Bronx odor. As Shakespeare said in
  Romeo and Juliet, Whats in a name? That which
  we call a rose By any other name would smell as
  sweet. (Even if we change the name of the plant
  we call conventionally rose to some other name,
  this plant will still smell as sweet as
  before/usual.)
• Therefore, it is wrong to assume that a name
  and a thing are one and the same. In other
  words, names can be changed at any time if we
  want or need.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 2

• 2. But a name is usually ... one from the other.
  Is this sentence contradictory to the first one
  in this para.? (3-5)
• No. Things do not have real names. Names
  can be changed. But since we have been using the
  name for a long time, we are most probable /
  gradually come to establish a kind od
  association, particularly in semantics, between
  the two. e.g. When we call the animal pig, we
  tend to think it fat, stupid, eating and
  sleeping, etc. Because of this semantic
  association, we have the expressions as make a
  pig of oneself (eat too much), buy a pig in a bag
  (buy without checking it up), etc.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 2

• 3. This is all because what we call things
  affects how we will perceive them.( Things will
  take on a different look when named differently.
  The name we give to something affects our
  perception.) It is not only harder to ... the
  horse mackerel. ??,???,??, Goldlion -
  ??,???,????

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 2

• 4. It would appear ... of the thing itself.
• It seems that mankind is predisposed to
  regard things as being inseparable from the
  labels they bear. This is a most intriguing
  delusion. We naturally think that things and
  their corresponding names are the same, but this
  is the illusion.
• There is some truth in this illusion.
• With the change of the names of things, you
  have changed their images in the eye of people,
  which, in effect, means a change in what the
  things really are. If you change the names of
  things, you change your way of perception, and
  you, in effect, change the nature of the things.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 2

• 5. Do you agree with P on this point? (3-6)
• This may sound a bit dubious. While the 1st
  change (change in the way people regard things)
  has been evidenced, the 2nd change (change in the
  nature of the thing itself) has not.
• 6. Main idea A change in name leads to a
  change in nature.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 3

• 1. All sorts of scoundrels ... they are
  promoting.
• The scoundrels give a charming name to the
  dirty thing they are committing to hide its real
  dirty or illegal nature, to make us believe they
  are doing something good. ??-????

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 3

• 2. Euphemizing ... of perceiving things.
• Giving a new name to some thing by using
  euphemism will generate a new way of perceiving
  things. This is the same as What we call things
  affects how we will perceive them.
• e.g. The man who wants us ... notice or
  respect. The status of a garbage man is
  considerably raised in the eye of the public from
  a man to an engineer. Garbage, a word with
  bad connotations is replaced by sanitation, a
  shift focus from what he disposes of to what he
  preserves.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 3

• 3. The teacher who ... be attended to.
• It is true that the teacher is euphemizing
  when he has us use culturally different
  children in place of slum children, but what
  he is doing is to try to turn our attention to an
  aspect of life that might easily be neglected.
• 4. Main idea euphemism - a method of
  generating new and useful ways of perception

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 4

• 1. Euphemizing itself is not contemptible. It
  is contemptible only when it tries to hide
  something true, esp. the dirty nature. e.g.
  Operation Sunshine ... but culturally
  different children is different.
• 2. Main idea euphemism is not a contemptible
  process.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 5

• 1. I grant that ... the intended effect.
• Sometimes euphemism is only a superficial
  term. It cannot achieve the intended effect to
  elevate the praise or the status, or to call
  attention to ... (as stated in l.53) In other
  words, although the name changes, the nature
  remains the same.
• E.g. (ll. 56-60) Even if a teacher, who
  believes slum children are those who are in
  great porverty, less educated, rude, rough,
  impolite, or the like, use the term culturally
  different children, it makes no difference to
  the effect that people intend to achieve when
  creating this euphemism. Other examples senior
  citizen - old people, mental institution -
  lunatic asylums

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 5

• 2. Nonetheless, euphemizing ... on a subject.
• However, if we change the name by using
  euphemism, we will also change our way of
  perception. This is the same as we have in l.
  27, ll. 32-3.
• e.g. (ll. 62-4) senior citizens for old
  people - perceive them to have political
  identities though they are of an old age. Though
  they are old, they still have the political
  identities and they can still be elected as
  President or something.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 5

• 3. In fact, ... to predict whether a
  particular euphemistic expression will be
  accepted or not, whether it will change peoples
  way of perception or not.
• e.g. (ll. 65-70) chairperson, sanitation
  engineer, senior citizen, tuna fish

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 5

• 4. There is danger ... appear ridiculaous.
• The change of peoples way of perception does
  not occur quickly or always. Sometimes we have
  such change, but sometimes not. And the change
  needs to undergo a long way. The change will
  occur if there is a social, cultural, (or
  others) tendency. i.e. if the new perspective
  coincides with a kind of tendency in the society,
  otherwise, the euphemistic name will remain
  incongruous or ridiculous.
• e.g. (ll. 73-5) facilitator (teacher)
  wildly accepted in ELT field now, pedegogical
  theory
• childperson (boys and girls)
  ridiculous

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 5

• 5. Why the attempt to rename old people
  senior citizens has turned out successful and
  that to rename boys and girls childpersons
  would not? (3-8)
• Among the general public as well as the old
  people themselves, there is the urge for
  recognition of their political identity. But so
  far there has not emerged such an urge to
  eliminate the gender distinction between boys
  and girls.
• 6. Main idea change must be supported by
  authentic trends
• There is a danger in supposing that a new
  name can change attitudes quickly or always.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 6

• 1. But to suppose ... the power of names.
• As we know from above, a new name cannot
  always change attitudes. But if we think a new
  name will not at all change the attitudes, we
  underestimate the power of names.
• e.g. (ll. 77-80) black - negro (euphemism) -
  black (euphemism in reverse) perceptions and
  attitudes have changed significantly with the
  change of the name.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 6

• 2. Do you think so? (3-9)
• Not really. The change in name might not
  have been so powerful as P assumes. If there was
  any marked change in peoples perception of and
  attitude to the Americans of African origin in
  the 60s, it should really be attributed to the
  mounting civil rights movement at that time.
• 3. Main idea

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 7

• 1. The key idea ... employ euphemism.
• Euphemizing can affect the culture, e.g.
  black (race discrimination), chairperson (sex
  discrimination)
• I dont think euphemism is not earthy
  (down-to-earth), direct language.
• e.g. dead, pass away - both plainly and
  honestly, but different conception of what the
  event means. shithouse, restroom - both lead to
  the same place, but different attitude towards
  privacy and propriety ( politeness).
• facilitator, teacher - both refer to the
  person doig the same job, but different function
  in education

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 7

• 2. What I am saying ... to value and to see.
• Changing a name by using euphemism (this
  figure of speech) has nothing to do with
  morality. Only when the name has some moral
  content explicitly or implicitly, we have the
  morality question.
• e.g. Operation Sunshine hide the ugly
  reality, an immoral act, hide the immoral reality
• but, sanitation engineer nothing to do with
  morality

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 7

• 3. Main idea a more elaborated definition
• NATO plays word games
• WHILE launching an undeclared war against
  Yugoslavia, US-led NATO is playing a game of
  words.
• At news briefings, Pentagon and NATO
  officials are likely to use euphemisms to
  whitewash their crimes in Yugoslavia.

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 7

• Shortly after US-led NATO began its air strikes
  against Yugoslavia, Pentagon officials touted
  their actions as
• "humanitarian intervention" to justify their
  barbarism.
• During their more than 70 days of strikes,
  they repeatedly played the same game of words.
  First, they explained their
• missile raids on the Chinese Embassy in
  Belgrade as a "mistake," and then attempted to
  transform their atrocities into
• regrettable but necessary "collateral
  damage."

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 7

• In their eyes, no other means is more effective
  in hoodwinking the public than euphemisms, with
  which they lull their
• citizens into thinking that to die for this
  war amounts to "joining the immortals." What a
  smart expression!
• While inflicting the scourge of war on
  Yugoslav people, Pentagon officials seem to let
  the world know that Yugoslavia
• should thank them for not using "selective
  ordinances."

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In-reading Interpretation Para. 7

• Every phrase used is so "sweet" and "gracious" to
  hear, it is difficult to associate the words with
  war maniacs stained by
• the blood of Yugoslavians.
• Their well-prepared euphemistic words,
  however, cannot fool people of common and moral
  sense.
• Pentagon officials made a fatal mistake when
  they cooked up their lies Who can believe a wolf
  in sheep's clothing?