摘 要

本文着重研究委婉语的日常应用，并从关联理论的角度探讨《破产姐妹》的委婉语应用。《破产姐妹》是一部以纽约市布鲁克林区威堡为故事背景的美国电视情景喜剧。该系列电视剧极大地反映了在布鲁克林中产阶级的现实生活—尽管贫穷，友谊和鼓励依然常伴左右。本文借鉴了节目中出现的黄色笑话和种族歧视，借助关联理论—从认知的角度处理信息进一步分析已收集的节目中的例子，进而有利于促进对委婉的正确理解和应用。

关键词：委婉语 破产姐妹 关联理论 实际应用

Contents

1. Introduction 7

2. Demonstration 8

2.1 Euphemism 9

2.1.1 Definition of euphemism 9

2.1.2 Classification of euphemism ------------------------------------------------------------9

2.2 Relevance Theory 10

2.2.1 The background of Relevance Theory 10

2.2.2 The two principles of Relevance Theory 11

3.1 An analysis of euphemism in Broke Girls from the perspective of Relevance Theory--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

3.1.1 The relationship between euphemism and Relevance Theory --------------------12

3.1.2 The analysis of examples in Broke Girls -------------------------------------------- 12

4.1 Daily euphemistic communication-------------------------------------------------------14

3. Conclusion---------------------------------------------------------------------------------14

Works Cited-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16

Bibliography-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17

An Analysis of Euphemism in Broke Girls from the Perspective of Relevance Theory

1. Introduction

Euphemisms are commonly used by people of all ages all over the world to fulfill successful social communication and ease the relationship. A euphemism is a mode of way to express one’s ideas in place of the words that can be offensive or unpleasant. It may be used to avoid words considered rude, while still conveying their meaning; words may be replaced by similar-sounding words, gentler words, or placeholders. Some euphemisms have become accepted in certain societies for uncomfortable information; for example, in many English--speaking countries, a doctor is likely to say "the patient passed away" rather than "the patient died". It has been a long time to study euphemism. Back to the early 1580s, the British writer George Blunt firstly cited the term “euphemism” in English and defined that “is a good or favorable interpretation of a bad word”. Then there were more scholars involved in the study of euphemism, including the American linguist Menken who discussed the cause of the origins and the popularity of hundreds of English euphemisms according to the historical and cultural background in America that time. Furthermore, in 1991, Allan and Burridge published book Euphemism and Dysphemism, which is helpful to the cognitive study of euphemism.

Relevance Theory, the basis of Cognitive-Pragmatic, was proposed by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson. It is dedicated to the information on processing from the perspective of cognitive, with a view to build up a general principle which is applied to interpret the inner mechanism of human communication. And it is also used to explain some philosophical question which are about the essence of human communication, Besides these, it is also applied to some psychological questions, such as the interpretation process which carries out in the addressees’ mind. The core of the theory is the “communicative principle of relevance”, which states that by the act of making an utterance the addresser is conveying that what he/she have said is worth listening to.

It is a pity that although the literal study of euphemism is adequate, there is little research of the practical application and euphemisms in TV series. Hence, this thesis will focus on the daily use of euphemisms and explore the euphemisms employed in the Broke Girls from the perspective of Relevance Theory. Broke Girls is an American television sitcom which is set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Its plot line follows the misadventures of the roommates Max Black and Caroline Channing, who are both poor, and their efforts to start a cupcake business.