unit 10 euphemism（課堂PPT）

1、1Unit 13Euphemism-by Nicole2The authorNeil PostmanA writer, professor of media ecology at New York University.Contributes to magazines and periodicals, including Atlantic and Nation. His works includes: Exploring Your Language (1966); Language and Reality (1966), and Teaching as a Conserving Activit

2、y(1979).3Introduction:The word “euphemism” comes from Greek; “eu” means good, while “pheme” refers to speech. So “euphemism” means “good speech” or “comfortable words”. 4EuphemismDefinition: 1. Substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for harsh or direct one; expression thus substitute

3、d. (Oxford Concise Dictionary, 1976)2. Substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.(Websters New Collegiate Dictionary, 1973)5 From the above definitions we can see that there are something in life that should not be stated bluntly o

4、r truthfullythat there are times when it is necessary, even wise, not to “call a spade a spade” but to use some better-sounding name.6What are these that we have to deliberately avoid mentioning directly for fear of hurting other peoples feelings? And what are the better-sounding names, the “gilded”

5、 words, that could replace them? 7 The problem is rather complex, for the circumstances and conditions under which euphemisms should be used differ from person to person, from profession to profession, from purpose to purpose, even from class to class.8The Social Psychology for Using EuphemismTabooP

6、olitenessPolitical Deception9TabooExamples:Death In both English and Chinese, people always avoid the immediate mention of “death” and displace it with different substitutes. For example in English there are about 400 expressions about “death”, while in Chinese the number reaches up to 480.10English

7、: close ones day pay the debt of nature depart to God go to a better world go to sleep pass away cross the Jordan 11Chinese:行將就木，彌留之際 （即將死亡）百年之后，千秋之后 （死亡之后）壽終正寢，與世長辭 （正常死亡）山高水長，三長兩短 （意外死亡）千秋萬歲，宮車晏駕 （帝王之死）命歸黃泉，撒手人寰 （平民之死）12香銷玉殞，珠沉壁碎 （美女之死）英勇就義，為國捐軀 （英雄之死）哲人其萎，蘭摧玉折 （賢人之死）喪事白喜事壽衣，壽木，壽穴Cemetery: memoria

8、l parkMortuary: funeral home13王夫人起身忙回道:他媽前日沒了,因有熱孝,不便前頭來.(第54回)Lady Wang rose to explain, She couldnt very well come, madam, because shes newly in mourning for her mother.142. Toilet habitsUrinate: answer the natures call, make water, pass water, see the moon make a coke stop bathroom, washroom, res

9、troom, his and hers go to necessary house WC go to spend a penny15PolitenessPersonal Characteristicsold: elderly, senior, seasoned, old age pensioner.breast: chest, bosombuttock: rear endprivate parts: lower partsugly: plain, homely, not particularly good- lookingfat: plump, chubby, stout, heavysetd

10、isabled: physically handicapped162. Privacyknowledge about sex: the fact of lifeadultery: misconduct, intimacyrape: assaultcohabitation: trialmarriage, married but not churched 17Todays parents must go beyond the birds and bees to AIDS, herpes and teenage pregnancy, might seat their child in front o

11、f a computer. Computer programs aid parents who want their kids to have the facts of life but who are uncomfortable discussing them. the birds and bees： the facts about sex, esp. as told to children18現(xiàn)在的父母向孩子解釋兩性關(guān)系時，僅僅用小鳥和蜜蜂來做比喻是不行了。他們還必須讓孩子了解艾滋病，皰疹及未成年人懷孕等一系列相關(guān)問題。對于那些想這么做卻又難于啟齒的父母來說，電腦程序可以充當其代言人；他們

12、只要打發(fā)孩子去打開電腦就可以了。19pregnant:She is expecting.She is in a family way.She is in an(a) interestingdelicate condition.She has cancelled all her social engagements.She has an accident. (to not married woman) 203. School Languagestupid pupil: a slow learner, underachieversubnormal child: exceptionalspecial

13、 child He is working at his own level. (for below average students)He has a tendency to stretch the truth. (for a lying student)He depends on others to do hisher work.214. Poverty poor, poverty-stricken, penniless: low in ones pocket, in an awkward financial situation without money, lack of money: h

14、ard for money, pinched for money 225. Menial Jobs or Professions of Low Social Standingprison guard: prison officergardener: landscape architectbarber: beauticiandustman, garbage collector: sanitation engineerJanitor(看門人）: superintendent, custodian 23tree-trimmer: tree surgeonGalGuy Friday: femalema

15、le secretary(Daniel Defoe: the Adventures of Robinson Crusoe)Chinese:保姆，清潔工：家政服務(wù)人員家庭婦女：全職太太看門人：保安24Political Deception1. illegal: inappropriate2. technical surveillance, intelligence gathering: wire-tapping3. air support ： air attack4. active defense or preventive war aggression5. physical persuasio

16、n: torture6. collateral damage： civilian casualties, massacre7. pre-emptive strike： surprise attack25Use of Euphemism in News(The) oldThe aging The senior citizenThe well-preserved men The veteransThe graying armyThe sunset yearsPast ones primeThe second childhoodFeeling ones years .漸漸上了年紀漸漸上了年紀 高級公

17、民高級公民保存完好的人保存完好的人老手老手灰軍灰軍暮年暮年過了風華正茂的年代過了風華正茂的年代返老還童返老還童知天命知天命.26被剝奪的被剝奪的 處于不利地位的處于不利地位的不擁有的人不擁有的人缺衣少食的人缺衣少食的人沒有特權(quán)的人沒有特權(quán)的人匱乏的人匱乏的人文化上吃虧的人（窮學(xué)生、黑人學(xué)生）文化上吃虧的人（窮學(xué)生、黑人學(xué)生）被剝奪受教育權(quán)利的人（窮孩子）被剝奪受教育權(quán)利的人（窮孩子）.Use of Euphemism in NewsThe poorThe deprived the disadvantagedThe havenotsThe needyThe underprivilegedThe

18、indigentThe culturally disadvantagedThe culturally deprived.27Use of Euphemism in NewsThe poor nationsThe South the Third WorldThe Fourth WorldThe developing nationsThe underdeveloped nations.南半球南半球 第三世界第三世界第四世界（最窮的國家）第四世界（最窮的國家）發(fā)展中國家發(fā)展中國家欠發(fā)達國家欠發(fā)達國家.28Use of Euphemism in NewsDismiss/ sack/ fireEase

19、out Lay offSelect outShow sb. the doorGet the walking ticket/papersSlimDownsize.悄悄離開悄悄離開冗員冗員選派出去選派出去禮送出門禮送出門接到通知書接到通知書瘦身瘦身縮減規(guī)模縮減規(guī)模.292. Examples of euphemism in Chinese去世逝世作古犧牲薨。與世長辭身體發(fā)福賦閑拮據(jù)30Dictionary work1. Auspicious: favorable2. exalted: dignified, elevated3. phony: deceitful; fraudulent4. expu

20、nge: wipe out; erase5. amiss: improper; wrong, faulty6. semantics: study of meaning7. in the same vein: in the same manner8. warrant: be worthy of9. incongruous: inappropriate; out of place10. categorically: absolutely; unconditionally31Library workEuphemism: A figure of speech in which indirectness

21、 replaces directness of statement, usually in an effort to avoid offensive bluntness in some subject involving delicacy or taboo. To say “at liberty” instead of “out of work”, “senior citizens” instead of “old people”, “in the family way” instead of “pregnant,” “anti-Semite” instead of “Jew- hater”,

22、 and “pass away” instead of “die” is to practice euphemism of one sort or another. It is possible for euphemism to signal false delicacy, insincerity, sentimentality, or excessive modest; euphemism may also mean a decent respect for the feeling of others. There can also be a measure of irony in euph

23、emism, as when a novel about desertion in wartime is called A farewell to Arms. From A Handbook to Literature32EuphemismA pleasant way of referring to something unpleasant. Thus Burier became undertaker, then mortician 殯儀業(yè)者; when opium became too odious, morphine (“dream bringer” bring into use; lat

24、er heroin was coined as more attractive than diamorphine(海洛因)(“die o morphine”) from Dictionary of world Literary Terms33Structure1: Euphemism has got a bad name because it is a way to give pretty names to essentially ugly realities2: what we call things affects how we will perceive them.3: Euphemiz

25、ing is a perfectly intelligent method of generating new and useful ways of perceiving things.4: Euphemizing is not a contemptible process; it is contemptible only when a name makes us see something that is not true or diverts our attention from something that is.5: Euphemizing may be regarded as one

26、 of our more important intellectual resources for creating new perspectives on a subject. But such changes must be supported by some authentic tendency or drift in the culture.6: Nevertheless, the power of names is not to be underestimated.7: a more elaborated definition of euphemism is that it is a

27、 means through which a culture may alter its imagery and by so doing subtly change its style, its priorities, and its values.34Para. 1Euphemism has got a bad name because it is a way to give pretty names to essentially ugly realitiesWould you please give some examples of euphemism to illustrate the

28、main idea?Operation sunshine the hydrogen bombSanitary engineer the garbage manAt liberty unemployed.35wordsAuspiciousExaltedDown-to-earthPartialPhonyAccusationDetestableConductedExpunge hideous imageryevoke36exalt1. praise, glorify, or honor;exalt the virtues of ones childrenglorify ones spouses co

29、okingsynonym： laud，extol，glorify，proclaim 2. fill with sublime emotion; tickle pink (exhilarate is obsolete in this usage);The children were exalt at the prospect of going to the moviesHe was exalted by his phenomenal successsynonym： exhilarate，inebriate，thrill，beatify 3. heighten or intensify;These

30、 paintings exalt the imaginationWe were exalted by his poems.他的詩激發(fā)了我們的想象力。synonym： inspire，animate，invigorate，enliven 4. raise in rank, character, or status;exalted the humble shoemaker to the rank of Kings adviserShe thanked the President to exalt her. 她感謝總統(tǒng)提拔她。37expungeTo remove by erasing or cros

31、sing outPlease expunge this remark from the recordsynonym： strike，excise 1. The juvenile court may expunge or destroy the records of a juvenile at any time. 少年法庭可在任何時候刪除或者銷毀未成年人的記錄。 2. He could not expunge the incident from his memory. 他無法忘掉這件事。 3. Wonder when to expunge that kitchen sponge from you

32、r life? 你對何時換掉廚房里的海綿有疑問？ 4. The revolutionaries expunged domestic opposition.革命者肅清了國內(nèi)敵對勢力。38evoke1. call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses);產(chǎn)生“- pity“ “- a smile“ evoke sympathysynonym： arouse，elicit，enkindle，kindle，fire，raise，provoke 2. call forth引起，招致Her behavior evoked a quarrel between th

33、e couplesynonym： provoke，call forth，kick up 3. deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning)得出。結(jié)論We evoked some interesting linguistic data from the native informant.synonym： educe，elicit，extract，draw out 394. evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic;召喚(死者靈魂等);【律】把(案件)移送到上級法院“evoke the specter of

34、unemploymentHe evoked/ conjured wild birds in the air.Evoke/ stir a disturbanceEvoke/ call down the spirits from the mountain為死者招魂synonym： raise，conjure，conjure up，invoke，stir，call down，arouse，bring up，put forward，call forth 5. call to mind or evokesynonym： suggest，paint a picture 40Paraphrasing:L 3

35、5: People who are partial to euphemisms stand accused of being “phony” or trying to hide what it is they are really talking about.Euphemism-prone people are subject to the charge that they are insincere.41Para. 2what we call things affects how we will perceive them.- we must keep in mind that things

36、 do not have “real” names. (L15)- A name is usually so firmly associated with the thing it denotes that it is extremely difficult to separate one from the other - Advertising, perfumes, an automobile, Shakespeare42Denote (L21)1. VERB 動詞預(yù)示;是的征兆;表示;是的標志 be sign or indication ofFORMAL 正式(1) Red eyes de

37、note strain and fatigue. 眼睛充血表明壓力過大、身心疲憊。(2) There was a message waiting, denoting that someone had been here ahead of her. 有了一條留言，這表示有人已先于她到了這兒。2. （符號等）代表，是的標記 represent FORMAL 正式(1) In figure 24 D denotes quantity demanded and S denotes quantity supplied. 在圖 24 中，D 代表需求量而 S 代表供應(yīng)量。43Paraphrasing 2L

38、2526What we call thing affects how we will perceive them.Things may take on a different look when named difficultly.44Perceive (L25)1. see, notice, or realize it, especially when it is not obviousA key task is to get pupils to perceive for themselves the relationship between success and effort.關(guān)鍵任務(wù)是

39、讓學(xué)生們自己認識到成功和努力之間的關(guān)系。perceive problems 發(fā)現(xiàn)問題2. 看作；視為；認為Stress is widely perceived as contributing to coronary heart disease.壓力被廣泛認為是導(dǎo)致冠心病的一個因素。They strangely perceive television as entertainment.奇怪的是，他們居然將電視看作娛樂。45Paraphrasing 3It would appear that human beings almost naturally come to identify names

40、with things, which is one of our more fascinating illusions. (L2830)It seems that mankind is predisposed(使易接受；使傾向于做) to regard things as being inseparable from the labels they bear. This is a most intriguing delusion.46illusion1. an erroneous mental representation假象;表象;synonym： semblance 2. somethin

41、g many people believe that is false錯誤觀念They have the illusion that I am very wealthy.synonym： fantasy，phantasy，fancy 3. the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas幻象； 幻覺synonym： delusion，head game 47Paraphrasing 4For if you change the names of things, you change how people will regard

42、them, and that is as changing the nature of the thing itself.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.48Para. 33: Euphemizing is a perfectly intelligent method of generating new and usef

43、ul ways of perceiving things.49TranslationL33-35Can make us love almost anything by getting us to transfer the charm of a name to whatever worthless thing they are promoting.1: 通過轉(zhuǎn)換有魅力的名字推銷無價值的東西。能使我們愛上一切2. 如今，各類無賴都非常清楚一點，他們通過讓我們把名字所具有的魅力轉(zhuǎn)移到他們所推銷的任何無價值的東西上，幾乎能使我們愛上一切東西。503. 現(xiàn)在各種騙子都很清楚這一點，他們把有魅力的名字賦予

44、給那些他們宣傳的東西，其實這些東西沒有任何價值，讓我們無限喜愛。51transfer1. move around;transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacketsynonym： shift 2. transfer somebody to a different position or location of worksynonym： reassign 3. move from one place to another;transfer the datatransmit the newstransfer

45、 the patient to another hospital4. lift and reset in another soil or situation;Transplant the young rice plantssynonym： transplant 5. cause to change ownership;I transferred my stock holdings to my children526. change from one vehicle or transportation line to another;She changed in Chicago on her w

46、ay to the East coastsynonym： change 7. send from one person or place to another;transmit a messagesynonym： transmit，transport，channel，channelize，channelise 8. shift the position or location of, as for business, legal, educational, or military purposes;He removed his children to the countrysideRemove

47、 the troops to the forest surrounding the cityremove a case to another courtsynonym： remove 9. transfer from one place or period to another;The ancient Greek story was transplanted into Modern America53Why do people call “a garbage man” “sanitation engineer”?Is hoping we will treat him with more res

48、pect than we presently do.He wants us to see that he is of some importance to our society.54Why does a teacher prefer us to use the term “culturally different children instead of “slum children”?He is doing it to encourage us to see aspects of a situation that might otherwise not be attended to. (no

49、t given attention to)55Para. 4Euphemizing is not a contemptible process; it is contemptible only when a name makes us see something that is not true or diverts our attention from something that is.56What evidence?1. What is the purpose for the author to provide the example of “Operation Sunshine?To

50、prove that when a name makes us see something that is not sure or diverts our attention from something that is.Why?The reality for hydrogen bombs?The image of “operation Sunshine”?to suggest a purpose for the bomb that simply does not exist.2. What is purpose of “culturally different”?To prove that

51、euphemizing itself that is not contemptible.Why?To legitimate reasons why such children might feel alienated from what goes on in school.57It calls attention, to legitimate reasons why such children might feel alienated from what goes on in school.Sound or valid reasons why such children might feel

52、separated or isolated from normal school life.legitimate is acceptable according to the law. The French government has condemned the coup in Haiti and has demanded the restoration of the legitimate government.法國政府對海地政變表示譴責，并要求恢復(fù)合法政府的地位。The government will not seek to disrupt the legitimate business

53、activities of the defendant.政府無意干擾被告的合法經(jīng)營活動。58Divert （L45)(1) make vehicles follow a different route or go to a different destination than they originally intendedRainham Marshes, east London, where a new bypass will divert traffic from the A13.倫敦東部的雷納姆澤，那兒有一條新的旁道將會分流 A13 公路的交通During the strike, amb

54、ulances will be diverted to private hospitals.在罷工期間，救護車將被轉(zhuǎn)到私人醫(yī)院去(2) cause money to be used for a different purposeThe government is trying to divert more public funds from west to east.政府正試圖將更多的公共基金從西部轉(zhuǎn)到東部。.government departments involved in diverting resources into community care.負責將資源用于社區(qū)保健的政府部門59

55、(3) send it to a different number or place from the one that was dialled by the person making the call. He instructed switchboard staff to divert all Lauras calls to him.他讓總機接線員將勞拉所有的電話都轉(zhuǎn)給他。Customers will only incur (bring upon) additional call charges if the call is diverted outside the UK. 只有當電話被轉(zhuǎn)

56、接到英國之外，客戶才會被加收額外的電話費。(4) turn aside; turn away fromThey want to divert the attention of the people from the real issues.他們想要把人們的注意力從真正的問題上轉(zhuǎn)移開。The President needed to divert attention away from his own economic record.總統(tǒng)需要將人們的視線從他以往在經(jīng)濟上的表現(xiàn)上轉(zhuǎn)移開。60Feel alienated from(1) make sb. become unfriendly or un

57、sympathetic towards you.使疏遠;使不友好E.g.:The government cannot afford to alienate either group.疏遠兩個團體中的任何一方都是政府承受不起的(2) cause sb. to be emotionally or intellectually separated from them.His second wife, Alice, was determined to alienate him from his two boys.他的第二任妻子艾麗斯，決意要疏遠他和兩個兒子的感情。61alienation1. Alco

58、holism often leads to the alienation of family and friends. 酗酒常常導(dǎo)致家庭和朋友間的疏遠。 2. Alienation is a central motif in her novels. 疏離感是她小說的一個重要的主題。 3. Marx concentrates on the alienation of labour and emphasizes the invidious aspects. 馬克思集中論述了勞動的異化，強調(diào)它令人厭惡的方面。 4. An assignment is a total alienation of cha

59、ttels personal. 動產(chǎn)轉(zhuǎn)讓是指屬人動產(chǎn)的完全轉(zhuǎn)讓。 62Para. 5 Euphemizing may be regarded as one of our more important intellectual resources for creating new perspectives on a subject. But such changes must be supported by some authentic tendency or drift in the culture.- 1. such euphemizing does not have the intende

60、d effect. - nothing may change (culturally different, senior citizen, lunatic asylums filthy, primitive prisons)63filthy(1) very dirty indeedHe never washed, and always wore a filthy old jacket.他總是穿著一件從來不洗的臟兮兮的舊夾克。(2) morally very unpleasant and disgusting, e.g.: A: Apparently, well known actors wer