A pragmatic study of euphemism in shakespeare's measure for measure

Abstract EN

Euphemism is a common language phenomenon used to replace a direct, offensive, annoying, and prohibited word or expression with a roundabout, inoffensive, pleasant, and acceptable one so as to save both the speaker’s and hearer’s face or third party from any loss.

Euphemism serves many functions; it may be used to soften the taboos (sex, religion, death, disease, pregnancy, and excrement), to deceive people (this is common in political situations), to show politeness, humour, solidarity and respect.

In Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, these functions and many others are taken into account.

This study attempts to achieve the following aims: (i) finding a model of pragmatic analysis of euphemism for Measure for Measure, (ii) identifying what euphemistic expressions used in this play, (iii) illustrating how context helps understand the euphemistic expressions in the play, (iv) knowing the reason(s) behind characters' infringement of Grice’s Cooperative Principle’s conversational maxims and (v) showing how the subjects of Measure for Measure such as sex, religion, death, disease, pregnancy, and excrement are mirrored through the employment of euphemism.

The following hypotheses have been suggested: (1) the interpretation of euphemism in Measure for Measure greatly relies on context, (2) the characters of the play use euphemism deliberately, (3) often euphemism serves more than one function in one utterance and (4) the subjects of sex and pregnancy are granted great interest in Measure for Measure than others (disease, religion, death, excrement).

The conclusions of the research validate the above hypotheses