Praise is be due to Allah SWT because only with his mercy and his guidance, so writer can finish to write this paper with the title "Euphemism".
Language is a power used to make one’s statement stronger. Someone uses language to influence people. Moreover, it can hide the fact to avoid misunderstanding between the speaker and the hearer or the writer and the reader. This is the same things with euphemism that implying the use of polite expression.
Euphemism is a generally innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse; while others use bland, inoffensive terms for things the user wishes to downplay. Euphemisms are used to refer to taboo topics (such as disability, sex, excretion, and death) in a polite way, or to mask profanity
Euphemisms, words or phrases that substitute for provocative or emotionally charged terms, are employed for various reasons:
1. Abstraction: Some euphemisms serve to distance people from unpleasant or embarrassing truths, as when we say that a dead person passed away or a celebrity who has canceled an appearance is suffering from exhaustion.
2. Indirection: A euphemism may replace an explicit description of an action, as when people speak of going to the bathroom or of others sleeping together.
3. Litotes: Sometimes, euphemism occurs in the form of this rhetorical device in which the gravity or force of an idea is softened or minimized by a double negative, as in the reference to someone as being not unattractive.
4. Mispronunciation: Alteration of pronunciation is a form of euphemism, as when we say frigging orshoot, or jeez or cripes, so as not to offend people by using profanity (figurative or literal). These types of euphemisms, involving rhyme, alliteration, or shortening, are also called minced oaths.
5. Modification: A bluntly offensive noun can be transformed into a euphemism by converting it to an adjective, as in saying someone has socialist leanings rather than labeling them a socialist outright.
6. Personification: One form of euphemism is when things that some people prefer not to mention candidly, such as genitals, are assigned personal names. (I will go beyond euphemism and let readers think of examples on their own.)
7. Slang: Much of slang, derived to produce a vocabulary exclusive to a social group, is euphemism, as in the use of joint for marijuana (itself a slang term, derived from the Spanish names Mary and Juana — closely related to “Mary Jane,” yet another euphemism).
For example:
- Between Jobs. Meaning: unemployed. Example: He’s not doing anything. He’s between jobs.
- Passed away. Meaning: died. Example: He’s an orphan - His parents passed away in a car accident.
- Perspire. Meaning: sweat. Example: He was perspiring in the heat.
- Thick-boned. Meaning: fat. Example: I’m not fat - I’m just thick-boned.
- Chemical dependency. Meaning: drug addiction. Example: He’s been free of chemical dependency for 5 years now.
- Bend the truth. Meaning: lie. Example: Don’t bend the truth! I saw you at the mall last night! You weren’t studying!
- Pre-owned. Meaning: second hand. Example: For sale pre-owned branded shoes! Good condition and come with a box.
- Let you go. Meaning: sack/fire you. Example: I’m so sorry but I have decided to let you go. I wish you well.
- Character lines. Meaning: wrinkles. Example: He looks much older now. He’s got character lines on his face.
- Bun in the oven. Meaning: pregnant. Example: You shouldn’t be lifting heavy boxes. You’ve got a bun in the oven.
Source: wikipedia.com/euphemism