Euphemisms And Their Significance in Language Learning

Introduction to Euphemisms

The ultimate aim of learning a new language isn’t to master its grammar or make endless cue cards to learn new vocabulary but to communicate effectively. To talk to native speakers or write blogs in order to express yourself freely and have meaningful conversations.

To do so, we must look beyond the basic rules of sentence formation or tenses and focus on the more practical aspects of language i.e. how it is used in real-life contexts. This necessarily includes being conscious of cultural differences when we talk to someone who’s from a different culture.

This way, we can ensure that in conveying our message, we’re not offending someone’s feelings or saying something that makes them ill at ease. This is where euphemisms come into the picture.

Euphemisms and their importance

Thus, for instance, you might find yourself in a situation where a certain topic, which is deemed entirely common and acceptable in your country, might be taboo in another. Or still, you wish to talk about something which might be unpleasant for the other. In such cases, choosing the right words is fundamental. Euphemisms help us do precisely that.

Through them, we can learn to be culturally sensitive in our target language. Thus, they are evidently an essential part of language learning, particularly at advanced levels, where you’re expected to use the language with remarkable proficiency in real-life contexts.

Examples

Having defined what euphemisms are and why it is important to learn them, we will now have the chance to look at some examples.

To minimize the use of a word as direct as “death,” we use expressions like “he passed away,” “she departed,” or “she isn’t with us anymore.” When referring to deaths occurring due to disasters and wars, you’d generally hear the expression, “x number of people lost their lives.”

When talking about “poverty,” we come across expressions such as “economically disadvantaged.” Other expressions (used in slightly different contexts) could be “financially challenged” or “cash-strapped.”

“Birds” and “bees” are yet other commonly-used expressions that refer to the topic of “human reproduction.” It is primarily used when parents are having “the talk” with their kids.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you to understand what euphemisms are and what their importance is in language learning. To deepen your understanding of the subject, I invite you to complete the following exercise.

Exercise

Match the euphemisms in column A with their literal meaning in column B.

Column A                               Column B

a. In between jobs                  1. To go to the bathroom

b. Senior Citizen                     2. To fire someone

c. Use the powder room        3. To be unemployed

d. Lay someone off                4. To be poor

e. Not well-off                         5. An old person