The Change and the Development of the Chinese Euphemisms : A Study Based on a Survey of the Use of Euphemisms byRespondents of Different Age Groups

Abstract: The Chinese euphemisms have aroused much interest of many researches due to its distinctive function and diversity. The choice and use of Chinese euphemisms are affected by many factors such as the Chinese traditional culture, social customs, people’s self-cultivation, the situation context and linguistic context of a conversation, etc. Hence, the progress of society, the development of technology and the renewing of the concept make up the dynamic characteristic of the Chinese euphemisms. However, most studies focus mainly on the vocabulary people use and their expressing habits and patterns, there are few studies focus on how Chinese euphemisms develop along with the times. Studies that shed light on how modern people use broad euphemisms and narrow euphemisms are even less. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to collect linguistic materials and design a questionnaire to make a survey on the current situation of using euphemisms by respondents of different age groups. The result of this survey shows that modern people are not only becoming less and less indirect in terms of the scope of using euphemisms, but also less and less tactful in terms of the vocabulary that they use. This phenomenon can be observed when people talk about topics such as death, disease, appearance, unemployment, marriage and privacy. Modern people tend to be relatively low decoratively worded. In other words, people are to some extent becoming less indirect and less tactful. This paper verifies the adaptability as well as the updating and upgrading of Chinese euphemisms. It also discusses the linguistic diversity of modern people in terms of using broad and narrow euphemisms under different contexts. This paper will not only help us to understand how Chinese language adapts to the change with the times, but also digs deeper into the great role that social culture plays in language development.