英语委婉语产生及其理解的认知心理阐释

A Cognitive Psychological Study on the Generation and Understanding of English Euphemisms

委婉语是一种间接的表达方式,即用一种迂回的、温和的、令人愉悦的表达代替那些直接却令人不悦的说法。委婉语的产生与使用是与人类的认知心理密切相关的。本文将从认知心理视角用图形-背景理论来阐释英语委婉语委婉效果的产生机制并在关联理论框架下对英语委婉语的理解过程进行探析,分析人们在现实言语交际活动中对英语委婉表达的识别及其理解,探究人类在其理解过程中的认知推理能力及认知过程。

Euphemisms are indirect ways of expression, they are the use of pleasant, mild or roundabout expressions in place of those blunt, harsh or direct ones. Euphemizing is a reflection of the mode of cognition and is concerned with the cognitive psychological activities of human beings. This paper is going to have a research on the generation of euphemistic effect of English euphemisms with the Figure-ground Theory and explore the understanding process of English euphemisms within the framework of Relevance Theory. It analyses the identification and understanding of English euphemisms in the daily communicative process and probes into the cognitive inference ability of human beings in the process of understanding of them.