English Register Lesson 2

1. “Word is the only
weightless thing on earth
that makes one feel
heavy.”

2. Euphemism
 Made up of three bound morphemes:, all
Greek in origin:
eu (good) +
phem(voice) +
ism (act/result)

3. Euphemisms
A euphemism is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a
polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics.
 We had our sick dog killed  We had Fido put down/put to sleep.
 Fat person  stocky/heavy person  overweight person*
 Ugly person  plain person
 He is lazy  He is not working to his full potential or He has a
relaxed attitude about his work
 She is disruptive  She has difficulty concentrating
 He is loud and arrogant  He has strong opinions about everything
and is not afraid to voice them
 Poor person  needy, under-privileged, disadvantaged or
economically deprived.
 Crippled  handicapped  disabled*
 Housewife  domestic engineer
 Old person  senior; elderly
 Secretary  Administrative assistant
* Note that sometimes
euphemisms are replaced by
further euphemized
words/phrases
General information
and examples
Adapted from: http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/easy/euphem.htm
06/29/18

4. Examples of Euphemisms
1.garbage man sanitation engineer
2. old people senior citizen
3. pregnant in the family way
4. die pass away
5. the dead the deceased /the late
6. burier undertaker / mortician
7. lunatic asylums mental institutions

5. Connotations change "Idiot," and "moron"Connotations change "Idiot," and "moron"
were once neutral terms for those of limitedwere once neutral terms for those of limited
mental ability.mental ability.
Negative connotations tend to crowd outNegative connotations tend to crowd out
neutral ones, so the phrase mentallyneutral ones, so the phrase mentally
retarded was pressed into service to replaceretarded was pressed into service to replace
them. Now that, too, is considered rude.them. Now that, too, is considered rude.
A similar progression occurred withA similar progression occurred with
lame → crippled → handicapped →lame → crippled → handicapped →
disabled → physically challenged →disabled → physically challenged →
differently ableddifferently abled

6. Comedian George Carlin gave a famousComedian George Carlin gave a famous
monologue of how he thoughtmonologue of how he thought
euphemisms undermine attitudeseuphemisms undermine attitudes
towards serious issues. For example:towards serious issues. For example:
Shell shock (World War I)Shell shock (World War I)
Battle fatigue (World War II)Battle fatigue (World War II)
Operational exhaustion (Korean War)Operational exhaustion (Korean War)
Post-traumatic stress disorderPost-traumatic stress disorder
(Preferred since Vietnam)(Preferred since Vietnam)

7. Sanitary landfill forSanitary landfill for garbage dumpgarbage dump
Ill-advised forIll-advised for bad decisionbad decision
Pre-owned vehicles forPre-owned vehicles for used carsused cars
A student being held back a gradeA student being held back a grade
level for havinglevel for having failedfailed..
Correctional facility forCorrectional facility for prisonprison
Enhanced interrogation techniqueEnhanced interrogation technique
forfor torturetorture..