Euphemisms in English Everyday Discourse Eufemismy V anglickém jazykovém prostředí

 

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2. ANALYSIS
The analysis focuses on euphemisms occurring in various articles 
published in online newspapers and magazines. To get a larger picture the 
euphemisms will be excerpted from many different sources: theguardian.com, 
dailymail.co.uk, bbc.com, metro.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk.
I have set criteria according to which the euphemism will be analysed. 
They are divided into groups according to the taboo they refer to. The analysis 
will deal with most of the taboo’s areas which were defined in the theoretical part. 
Only the currently used euphemisms will be analysed as some of the euphemisms 
have undergone the process of lexicalisation and are no longer understood as 
euphemisms. 
The classification of euphemisms is based on their functions, whether they 
change exact names and their negative connotations, avoid calling things that are 
considered impolite, replace repulsive and unpleasant words or heighten the status 
of non-prestigious phenomena. Further division focuses on the origin of the 
euphemisms and describes why the foreign words are preferred when forming 
new euphemistic alternatives. Since the usage of euphemisms might differ 
according to age and profession, this issue will be also dealt with in the practical 
part.
Another criterion of my analysis concerns the influence of euphemisms on 
readers or listeners. It will be discussed in which case it is the matter of softening 
and when it serves as an instrument of manipulation. This should confirm or 
disprove the hypothesis stated in the theoretical part, that is, why do we 
euphemize. The analysis might reveal other reasons for euphemizing.

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2.1 SEXUAL RELATED EUPHEMISMS 
As it was mentioned in the theoretical part there are many ways of 
speaking about sexual topics. The subject of sex might be dealt with silence, 
medical language or with the use of euphemisms. British and American press uses 
both of these possibilities depending on the formality of the article. Another 
criterion is the group of readers at which the article is aimed.