Communicative functions of euphemisms in persian

In each culture, taboo domains are subject to varying degrees of constraint and prohibition. Euphemisms, on the other hand,are proper means of talking about these sensitive topics. Adopting Allan &Burridge’s (2006) pragmatic approach towards euphemisms, we aimed to find how euphemisms in Persian communicate different intentions in pragmatic contexts. The data collected from Persian daily conversations and newspapers and their analysis indicated that in this language, these expressions are divided into three categories based on the communicative function they hold. Firstly, euphemisms are motivated by taboo topics and are mainly used to avoid affronting bothspeaker’s and the hearer’s face. Secondly, they function as a stylistic marker where their use is not a response to taboo topics; rather, they are merely kinder words which fit in the context of use. Thirdly, In Persian, euphemism is used by people in power to deceive ordinary people and impose a certain ideology on them to control their thought.

Euphemism ,

Dysphemism ,

Doublespeak ,

Taboo Word ,

Face ,