Euphemisms: Terms, Arguments and The Game of the Name.

Question 1

What is an Euphemisms?

Answer 1

Euphemisms: A word or phrase used to instead of saying an unpleasant or offensive words.

Question 2

What subject contains the most Euphemisms?

Answer 2

Taboo Subjects.

Question 3

Give me the first taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 3

• An example is ‘conception’ when parents are explaining to their children about babies are made, they describe it using phrases like ‘birds and the bees’ and how their mothers are ‘expecting’ a baby to come soon.

Question 4

Give me the second taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 4

• Pregnancy. The most common euphemism to describe a woman who’s pregnant is that they’ve got a “bun in the oven.” A man or women might say unexpectedly that they were/have been “knocked up” if they unintentionally did not mean to get themselves or their partner pregnant.

Question 5

Give me the third taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 5

• Excretion. Often the concrete noun “toilet” can be used as a euphemism for asking to go use the toilet. Alternatively, one can ask for the “number 1 or 2” or “Ladies and the Gents!

Question 6

Give me the fourth taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 6

• Abortion. Talking about sensitive subjects, they can be referred to programmes that carry out the operation. Euphemisms like ‘Planned Parenthood’ or ‘Family Planning.’

Question 7

Give me the fifth taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 7

• Ovulation: Now, you can hear women refer to their cycle of ovulating by ‘making a Japanese flag’

Question 8

Give me the sixth taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 8

• Firing: An unpleasant experience everyone has had can be dreadful. Therefore, there are many euphemisms that exist. A company may ask for someone to be ‘let go’ or ‘be dismissed’. Alternatively, they can ask you to ‘go on a holiday’. More recently have companies started to opt for ‘downsizing.’

Question 9

Give me the last taboo subject and it’s example?

Answer 9

• War: One of the most controversial subjects. Recently has War seen the arrival of more euphemisms to hide words such as “death” or tasks that result to that. We can hear of ‘collateral damage.’ Interestingly, you could hear nouns such as “efforts” and “progress” to describe the US army’s activity with their involvement in Middle-Eastern wars in President’s Obama’s speech.

Question 10

What can we evaluate from this? Why do we need euphemisms within the English language?

Answer 10

These euphemisms are subject of a society’s sensitivity towards these subjects. These euphemisms mitigate the awkwardness and power between the subjects and other people. They alleviate the negative politeness and sustain a positive face. They can save. Euphemisms may also act to ease our mental being, at times when we don’t just do not need it. As humans, we are cannot be too involved in depressing subjects otherwise it is will take a toll on our mental health.

Question 11

When don’t we need this in the English Language?

Answer 11

In contexts such as occupation The truth should be told as explicitly as possible because at times within language we often need to hear the truth at that very moment in time. Or in the war of context I also think that euphemisms should serve the masquerading the truth such as in war, Steven Pinker agrees with me this too as he noted that within war talk To deceive the public that the killing of innocent is just another “everyday” job and we should disregard the lives that are lost.

Question 12

So, what can we overall say?

Answer 12

At times, it is okay to use euphemisms in taboo subjects that are often not uncomfortable to talk about and mitigate that negative face. At other times you must draw the line of where a euphemisms can go far where they are used to “manipulate” and “obscure” the meaning as Steven Pinker says such as in War.

Question 13

According to the Game of The Name What is advantage of Euphemisms?

Answer 13

An advantage of euphemisms is that they allow for an avoidance of offence; more specifically they allow people to be politically correct.

Question 14

What is an example (1) that is used to defend that argument within the article?

Answer 14

The Los Angeles Times’s “Guidelines on Racial and Ethnic Identification” ‘bans and restricts’ it’s writers and editors on using 150 words such as “birth defect”, “dark” & “WASP.” If we’re looking it this from a linguistic framework point of view (AO1, AO3) the use of the material verb “ban” meaning to restrict something, would mean that there would need to be a sense of control with what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Question 15

What is an example (2) that is used to defend that argument within the article?

Answer 15

Economist allowed for their writers to use third person singular pronoun ‘he’ for both sexes and label disabled people ‘crippled’. ‘

‘he’ it assumes that women should conform to the male gender, they shouldn’t be treated as an individual.

Taking a look at ‘crippled’ this label is harsh and suggests that they’re broken and unable to function and fit back into society. This gives to the disabled community a sense of isolation, that they can no longer re-join due to being physically unable to do something. Society only requires ‘the survival of the fittest’

Question 16

What is an disadvantage to euphemisms?

Answer 16

• Obscures meaning and enforces dictation

Question 17

What is the example that is used to support against the first disadvantage?

Answer 17

The use of euphemisms and other words can enforce a ‘corrosion of clarity and expressive at best, thought control.’

If we analyse the linguistically the language choice that Steven Pinker has used, the use of the open compound ‘thought-control’ both containing abstract nouns, gives us this sense that our minds are being manipulated, dictated by those want us to not see the full picture. We’re being diverted to think what the writer doesn’t want us to think. To summarise, we’re given a false picture

With ‘corrosion of clarity’ if we single out just ‘corrosion’ which is whereby something that was once fully function or was at its whole is breaking a part. Pair that with ‘clarity’ this position us to think that the idea of ‘total’ clarity did once exist but as soon as we started to dictate the use of language, this has slowly started to break apart and decay just like the process of corrosion.

Question 18

What is the second disadvantage to euphemisms?

Answer 18

• Despite the creation of terms, the meaning still is attached to the world.

Question 19

What is the example that is used to support against the second disadvantage?

Answer 19

Steven Pinker disagrees with the view that ‘language determines thought’, we know that it doesn’t. We all view language relatively the same but that just it’s communicated differently. If we relate this to words. We don’t all think about the same word differently, each of us know what it is in our own terms but in a way, that is understood by anyone

The example given by Steven Pinker with ‘duck’; we know it is means the animal with that associated sound that it makes but on the surface a duck does not look, sound or walk like one.

Question 20

What is the last disadvantage to euphemisms?

Answer 20

•Unnecessary because euphemisms/words may will not take offence because they’re not knowledgeable in the etymology.

Question 21

What is the example that is used to against the last disadvantage?

Answer 21

Cleverly put by Steven Pinker in which He refuted the LA times that assumed that everyone was a ‘reflexive etymologist.’ He questions why euphemisms or PC words should enforced in the first place because often people may not be aware of the etymology of those word.

So it is useless for Los Angeles to be banning words such as “New World” (ignoring the indigenous cultures that preceded Columba’s voyage) or “in-valid” (literally not valid) in reference to disabled persons.
Evaulation:

Question 22

What is the first evaluation that can be made from this then according to Pinker?

Answer 22

So, if we’re not able to use euphemisms/words that can cause offense, or avoid over-using PC terms/euphemisms that generally will not be offensive to a majority of people then what is left to do? Steven Pinker shares the same thoughts; he describes how can people expect to react to this ‘carousel’ of name change such as formerly unexceptionable terms by new ones ‘Negro’ by ‘black’ by “African-American”: “Spanish-American” by “Hispanic” by “Latin”: “slumL by “Ghetto” by “Inner city again

Question 23

What did he propose that euphemisms should be and those who share it/?

Answer 23

Steven Pinker says that there needs to be “clear guidelines”.

If we do “find out” we can able to term what is deemed not to be used and what is. Pinker found out that deaf people preferred to be called “deaf” rather than “individuals who cannot hear”. Contrastingly, the proper noun “Wailing Wall” is highly offensive to Jewish people.

Demonstrating that one can be still be able to use such terms if they do a little more investigation.

Question 24

What quote does he use that you can share within your exam?

Answer 24

When new ethnic terms are created with their rules, those who spread those terms should be aware and be made fully responsible. This encourages a clear ruling system of who can and who can’t use the term such as a neologism that you’ve recently mentioned before “nigga”.

Question 25

What is the Euphemism Treadmill?

Answer 25

Invention of new “polite” words to refer to emotionally laden or distasteful things but the euphemism becomes tainted with association and the new one that must be found acquires its own negative connotations.

Question 26

What examples did Steven Pinker give and why?

Answer 26

Such as “coloured people” or “people of colour” or “Afro American,” African American; Negro (Spanish for “black”) “black- something else must be driving the process.

Some of these terms were justified in their own day such as ‘coloured people’ but because of the racially distasteful connotations that they held in the past they’ve been replaced by ‘people of colour’

Question 27

What examples did Steven Pinker give to support hia argumetnt of “obscuring the meaning”

Answer 27

Where can we draw the line when ‘water closet’ becomes “toilet” becomes “bathroom” which becomes “restroom” and then “lavatory”

“Garage collections” turns into “sanitation” which turns into “environment services.”

Question 28

How would you able to know when to use the euphemisms?

Answer 28

• You can’t, it depends on various factors such as the discourse event, class, media etcs. At times it’s uncontrollable to able to selectively choose the euphemism. At other times, you are able to get yourself informed so that you are able to know.

Question 29

What is the advantage of knowing when to use the euphemism?

Answer 29

When we learn a word, we also learn about its history; through the means of social media, internet or books. Making us socially aware that we should or shouldn’t use “said-term”.

Question 30

What is the disadvantage of knowing when to use the euphemism? Give quote and most likely of area of persons are likely to be susceptible to this.

Answer 30

We are perceived as ignorant.

As Steven Pinker puts it we can’t learn when to use euphemisms if “subscribing to the right magazines or going out to the right cocktail parties”.

It’s often old people, or people who live outside of the media, government and university that get left out when new terms are added,