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1、 Table of ContentsOutline1Introduction2I. Definition and Motivation of Political Euphemism3II. Functions of Political Euphemism42.1 Functions of Political Euphemism in Internal Relations52.1.1 Concealing Political Scandals52.1.2 Easing Social Problems52.2 Functions of Political Euphemism in Internat

2、ional Relations62.2.1 Lessening Conflicts and Contradictions6III. Analysis of Euphemisms in John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address from the Perspective of Politeness Principle73.1 Observation of Approbation Maxim and Modesty Maxim83.2 Observation of Agreement Maxim93.3 Observation of Sympathy Maxim10Con

3、clusion11Bibliography13Acknowledgement14OutlineThesis statement: This paper is designed to research political euphemisms in John F. Kennedys inaugural address from the perspective of Leechs Politeness Principle (PP), which contains three maxims-Approbation Maxim and Modesty Maxim, Agreement Maxim, a

4、nd Sympathy Maxim, so as to help learners comprehend political euphemisms and use them skillfully.I. What is political euphemism and what is its motivation?II. What are the functions of political euphemism?A. How does political euphemism work in Internal Relations?B. How does political euphemism wor

5、k in International Relations?III. Analyze political euphemisms in JFKs inaugural address from the perspective of Leechs Politeness Principle (PP).A. How does JFK use Approbation Maxim and Modesty Maxim in his address?B. How does JFK use Agreement Maxim of PP in his address?C. How does JFK use Sympat

6、hy Maxim of PP in his address?IV. Conclusion: This thesis analyzes Politeness Principle (PP) of political euphemisms used in John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address. He uses euphemisms to maintain his power of address and to create a satisfying international and internal environment for his country's

7、 development, and he distorts the truth is to try to show his politeness, and to minimize the cost to the American public. IntroductionEuphemism, as an essential and natural part of the English language and a common linguistic phenomenon, is of great importance to keep daily communication and person

8、al relationship smooth. Political euphemism displays its distinct charm in political field, especially that of America, which has great impact on the international politics. In Politics and the English Language，George Orwell points out that “Political language-and with variations this is true of all

9、 political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists-is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” (67).Western political life is the rich soil that produces euphemism, especially at the moment when political situation is changing

10、 or when War erupts. Therefore, a good knowledge of political euphemism can not only raise the comprehensibility of foreign language, but also enable people to catch the essence of domestic and international political events more accurately.Euphemism has the characteristic of vagueness, which makes

11、it deceitful, so western politicians often use the beautified euphemisms to disguise the fact as possible as they can. And politics in western become a game playing with euphemism. When some significant political events happen, a lot of political euphemisms may come into being.In recent years, so ma

12、ny scholars have made practical analysis of euphemisms and their researches contribute a lot to the study, and most of them related to approach the issue from the rhetoric, semantic, cultural and sociolinguistic angles. Few academic papers have touched euphemisms used in American Presidents Inaugura

13、l Addresses so far. This paper mainly focuses on the euphemisms used in the American Presidents Inaugural Addresses based on the theory of Leechs Politeness Principle (PP).I. Definition and Motivation of Political EuphemismMany linguists hold that politics is a kind of linguistic behavior which tell

14、s people the happened political events in society and tries to persuade them to participate in such events. Language not only conveys political views but also creates the social reality people depends on.Political euphemism is such a euphemism classified by its range of use. It is mainly used in gov

15、ernmental documents, the mass media critics and the speeches of statesmen. Actions and behaviors of every government, party, and leader are political. The governments objective is to defend its status of domination and safeguard its own interests. In the western countries, when serious political sca

16、ndals or great political events happen, the government and leaders usually use political euphemism to hide the truth and commit a fraud upon the public. As Neaman & Silver point out “whatever their individual codes, all governments are gold mines of euphemism” primarily for the purpose of “defen

17、ding and rationalizing their actions and for disguising or diminishing their failures or unpopular proposals policies” (314).Political euphemism used by statesmen or diplomats is dependent on the national dignity and interest, therefore is more consequential with reference to international relations

18、. Euphemism in international political communication enables statesmen or diplomats to say sharp things to each other without becoming unfriendly or impolite. In order to maintain their respective positions, diplomats or statesmen at times cannot avoid mentioning controversial topics. However, as th

19、ey represent as well the image of their governments, they are supposed to remark and behave in a polite and proper manner. Consequently, they usually employ euphemistic expressions which enable them to make unpleasant things sound pleasant, or at least less unpleasant.II. Functions of Political Euph

20、emismAs a kind of euphemism, political euphemism is naturally endowed the functions of euphemism, which can be summarized as the following two points.Euphemisms not only help the speaker avoid talking about the frightful or embarrassed things directly, but also help the speaker or the listener feel

21、relaxed talking about the things that might probably make him or her appear disgraced or embarrassed if spoken directly.Euphemisms are used to cover up the true nature of events, deceiving the public with nice-sounding and pseudo-technical work, and in the meanwhile it can also help some people avoi

22、d talking about sensitive things directly so that they can escape their due responsibility, even punishment. To illustrate more concretely, we may study from the perspectives of internal relations and international relations.2.1 Functions of Political Euphemism in Internal Relations 2.1.1 Concealing

23、 Political ScandalsIn order to maintain the image of the government, the officials always do their best to conceal political scandals. By means of political euphemism, the government covers up the truth of some issues and disguises the facts.The notorious Watergate brings along a lot of euphemisms.

24、The conspiracy is called “scenario” and one who steals intelligence is called “plumber”. What is more, the political scandals from then on is named as”-gate”, such as, Underwatergate, Reagans Irrigate and Clintons Zipgate.2.1.2 Easing Social ProblemsIn the early 19th century, the tension of labor re

25、lation and the unrest of strike became serious social problems of western society. In order to ease the contradiction, “strike” is called “industry dispute”, “students strike” is called “student unrest” and “economy drop” is called “adjustment downward. To assure people that the social problems such

26、 as poverty and crime are not that serious, the government officials created various euphemisms. “l(fā)ost jobs” became “between two jobs”, “fired employees” became “personnel ceiling reductions”, “prison” became “adjustment center”, “imprison” became “l(fā)ive at the governments expense”, and “search” beca

27、me “pat down”.2.2 Functions of Political Euphemism in International RelationsPolitical activities in international stage are mainly reflected in diplomacy and military.2.2.1 Lessening Conflicts and ContradictionsIn diplomatic activities, every country aims at maintaining its own interest, so conflic

28、ts and contradictions are inevitable. In order to lessen conflicts and contradictions to the utmost extent，diplomats pay special attention to their speech, and they always express their opinions or put forward suggestions in a euphemistic way. For example, when a spokesman of a party says “cannot re

29、main indifferent to some international dispute”, he in fact means that the government will sure get involved into the dispute. If he says the government will “view with grave concern”, it means that the government will consider taking tough measures. 2.2.2 Avoiding Sensitive TopicsIn diplomatic fiel

30、d, there are lots of sensitive topics of which diplomats would not like to talk directly. In this case, they will try to use communicative strategies consciously to avoid those sensitive topics.The following sentences are selected from the Toast by President Nixon at the banquet given by Premier Zho

31、u Enlai on February21, 1972.“So 1et us in these next five days, start a long march together, not in lockstep, but on different roads 1eading to the same goal”In this example, the president does not avoid mentioning the differences between the two states, but the differences are greatly diluted in su

32、ch description as “a long march not in lockstep”, and the theme is quickly shifted to emphasize the common goals of the two countries, thus cleverly transferring the hearers attention away from the unpleasant topic.2.2.3 Concealing TruthMilitary affairs are swamped with political euphemisms, the num

33、ber of which is still on the increase. American military affairs are really a big producer of political euphemisms. By means of euphemism, American government tries to conceal the truth so that people would not feel hatred for what the government has done. For example, instead of admitting defeat, A

34、merican government unblushingly says “l(fā)eave the victory behind for the opposite party”, American air force take “air raid” as “air support” etc.III. Analysis of Euphemisms in John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address from the Perspective of Politeness Principle“A successful conversation results from the mu

35、tual effort of participants for the purpose of a mutual communicative goal.” (何兆熊, 146) The roundabout nature of euphemisms can be fairly explained well by Leech's Politeness Principle (PP). Leech proposes PP which included Tact Maxim, Generosity Maxim, Approbation Maxim, Modesty Maxim, Agreemen

36、t Maxim and Sympathy Maxim, these maxims provide a way of explaining how politeness operates in communicative exchanges. American Presidents employing euphemisms in their addresses can tactfully avoid the conflicts and maintain a friendly and polite atmosphere, which puts PP into good practice, so d

37、oes John F. Kennedys. How he uses euphemisms to achieve PP will be analyzed from three aspects, which are Approbation Maxim and Modesty Maxim, Agreement Maxim, and Sympathy Maxim. 3.1 Observation of Approbation Maxim and Modesty MaximThe Approbation maxim states: “Minimize the expression of beliefs

38、which express dispraise of other; maximize the expression of beliefs which express approval of other.” (Leech, 139) It is preferred to praise others and if this is impossible, to state the issue indirectly, to give some sort of minimal response, or to remain silent. The Modesty maxim states: “Minimi

39、ze the expression of praise of self; maximize the expression of dispraise of self.” The presidents apply the Approbation maxim and Modesty maxim of PP by using some euphemisms. In other words, euphemisms are used to minimize dispraise and maximize praise of others, or minimize the praise of self and

40、 maximize dispraise of self in their addresses. The following example is elected from President John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address. “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolu

41、tionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe-the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.”This sentence “Man holds the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life” used here pr

42、aises the power that American people hold. This sentence “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state” decreases the role the state takes in giving human rights. These statements in his address would make the addressees, the American public, feel happy and can create a friendly and w

43、arm atmosphere.3.2 Observation of Agreement MaximThe Agreement Maxim runs as follows: “Minimize the expression of disagreement between self and other; maximize the expression of agreement between self and other.” (Leech, 148) It is in line with Brown and Levinsons positive politeness strategies of “

44、seek agreement” and “avoid disagreement”. However, it does not mean that people totally avoid disagreement. It is simply observed that they are much more direct in expressing agreement, rather than disagreement. Some euphemisms in the American Presidents' Inaugural Addresses are sure to seek for

45、 the common interest of the two sides and reduce the difference on each side. This is the abidance of the Agreement Maxim. Let us look at the following example selected from President John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address:To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge-to convert

46、 our good words into good deeds-in a new alliance for progress-to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty.The boldface words are euphemisms, which can weaken the conflict and minimize the disagreement between each side. The president uses “sister republics” to refer

47、 to the countries which situated to the south of America. He considers these countries and America are from a big family, drawing the relations more closely and hearers feel more sincere.To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. Uni

48、ted, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do-for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.This passage is also chosen from President John Kennedys Inaugural Address. He calls on the old allies of America to unite to me

49、et the powerful challenges in their times, or they will contribute nothing to the world. In this way, the president finds the agreement between the two sides, creating a harmonious atmosphere for his future administration.3.3 Observation of Sympathy MaximThe Sympathy maxim states: “Minimize antipath

50、y between self and other; maximize sympathy between self and other.”(Leech, 168) This is trying to show ones politeness by attending to the hearers interests, wants, and needs. Obviously, it is necessary for the presidents to observe the Sympathy Maxim in their addresses, which can show regards or r

51、espects. The following example is selected from President John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address. To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves.The president Kennedy shows his strong sympat

52、hy to the poor people by euphemistic words “struggling to break the bonds of mass misery” and “pledge our best efforts”, which could promote the relationship between the two parts and make the whole speech sound polite.But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our pr

53、esent course-both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankinds final war.The above passage is also chosen from President John Kennedys Inaugura

54、l Address. The bold words “two great and powerful groups of nations” refers to “North Atlantic Treaty Organization” and “Warsaw Treaty Organization”. The former is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949 and the latter is also called

55、 “Warsaw Pact Military Alliance”, which was established at the USSRs initiative and realized on 14 May 1955. Both sides spend plenty of money in developing the nuclear weapons, and this military race may lead to the extinction of humankind. So President Kennedy shows sympathy towards both sides burden, hoping to restrict the nuclear weapons.ConclusionBase