Abstract: As a linguistic phenomenon, euphemism has its unique origination and formation, and abides by a certain development principle. Euphemism is also a cultural phenomenon at the same time, reflecting different convention, custom and social psychology in China and the western countries. This thesis falls into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the history of euphemisms in English and Chinese. Chapter two illustrates the relationship among language, culture and taboo. Chapter three states the definition of euphemism and the classification of euphemisms. Chapter four explains the similarities and differences between English euphemism and Chinese euphemism and researches the reasons of discrepancy between English euphemism and Chinese euphemism from the angle of the language structure, usage and the culture. Chapter five is a conclusion of all the findings and discoveries made in this thesis. Through the comparison of English euphemism and Chinese euphemism，we can see that euphemism is a linguistic and particularly, a social cultural phenomenon. Its generation and development are the outcome of various socio-psychological and pragmatic factors.
Key Words: euphemism; comparative study; linguistic phenomenon; cultural phenomenon
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
1. History and Studies of Euphemisms in English and Chinese 1
1.1 A Brief History of Euphemisms in English and Chinese 1
1.2 An Overview of Study of Euphemisms at Home and Abroad 2
2. Language, Culture, Taboo and Euphemism 3
2.1 Language and Euphemism 3
2.2 Culture and Euphemism 4
2.3 Taboo and Euphemism 4
3. Definition and Classification of Euphemism 4
3.1 Definition of Euphemism 4
3.2 Classification of Euphemism 5
4. Comparison Between Chinese and English Euphemisms 7
4.1 Similarities 7
4.2 Differences 10
5. Conclusion 14
