Euphemisms are used to avoid expressing terms that may be shocking.
A euphemism is a decorous statement , the most direct and frank expression of which would be very harsh or sound bad. It refers to a concept that serves to replace another more offensive, vulgar or even taboo concept; The one used is considered appropriate because it is politically correct . This means that the use of a euphemism prevents clashing with the interlocutor by saying something that might otherwise be intolerable for them.
It can also be used to replace a secret name or with a comic intention . The objective of euphemism is to imply a reality but masking the most conflictive aspects of it. In the case of humor , it allows a joke to be expressed in an intelligent way, forcing the recipient to understand the double meaning of a certain phrase.
Euphemisms in politics
Politics is the area where euphemisms are most common. By using a euphemism, a politician can hide a decision that would be unpopular and present his proposals as something more tolerable by society . For example: "To guarantee growth it is necessary to make a tax adjustment" is a euphemism that can be said instead of "We are going to increase taxes in the face of the crisis."
Another example of euphemisms in politics appears in international relations when there are war conflicts. The phrase “collateral damage” masks the innocent deaths that occur as a result of war . Society is more tolerant of the idea that a bombing caused "significant collateral damage" instead of hearing that said attack "resulted in the death of 200 civilians." "Operation" instead of "invasion" is another euphemism in the war environment.
A euphemism allows decorum to be maintained.
The right thing to do on a social level
In rhetoric (a discipline related to all fields of knowledge that is responsible for studying and developing various procedures and techniques for the correct use of language) a euphemism is a rhetorical figure that serves to replace one term with another . The objective is to avoid using words that may be unpleasant or hurtful in favor of others that can help express the same thing without causing a bad reaction in the listener. Although it is used less and less in current literature , this figure is often found in classical works.
In everyday life we tend to use euphemisms a lot because we have been educated believing that certain things "are bad for us to say"; However, it is a mistake to think like this. The words themselves do not have a negative connotation ; This is strictly linked to social prejudices .
An example of euphemism may be using the concept of "senior age" to refer to "old age" or "adult entertainment" to avoid saying "pornography" .
There is talk of politically correct language and many claim not to be linked to it, however, we all are to a greater or lesser extent. The important thing is to know how to understand the limits; not to exaggerate in our understanding of others, but also not to treat someone who has done nothing to us in a bad way.
Using euphemisms can considerably help us relate to the world, but abusing their use in our speech can lead us to maintain less than direct communications and harm our development in the world; Therefore, it is important to know when it is better to be politically correct and when to avoid euphemisms to be more natural and direct, with all the consequences that this implies.