Euphemisms in English Everyday Discourse Eufemismy V anglickém jazykovém prostředí

POLITICAL PHENOMENA 
Euphemisms in economic, military and political sphere are rather the 
matter of doublespeak. The reason for creating these euphemistic alternatives is to 
conceal the true facts, in other words, to lie about unpleasant reality. The 
euphemistic substitutions are the means of speaker’s manipulation with the 
audience. As far as military phenomena are concerned, there are a few terms that 
designate war enemy. They are usually of foreign origin because it sounds more 
sophisticated and at the same time it gives a notion that the opponent is the cause 
of all evil and the only one who provoked the conflict. Using these euphemisms, a 
speaker evades and transfers responsibility. 
“This simplified narrative tends to cast Serbia as 
aggressors
, Bosnian Muslims as 
victims, Nato as rescuing heroes and Croatia as bemused onlookers.”
(Petkovski, 
2010)
“How boots of first world war troops brought a foreign 
invader
to Scotland.”
(McKie, 2014) 
“In 2011 one of two 
insurgents
 was seriously injured by gunfire from an Apache 
helicopter sent to provide air support, and the marines from 42 Commando found 
him in a field.” 
(BBC, 2017)
Euphemisms with the misleading and misinterpreting function are very 
often of foreign origin. Although these words sound more sophisticated, elegant 
and technical they do not express anything specific. Such terms are only 

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artificially made expressions that divert away audience’s attention. In the example 
below, collateral damage refers to killed civilians. This noble euphemism for such 
crime just dresses up the bad news into rather neutral one and accepts the killing 
civilians as a side effect of any conflict.
 “