Contamination and Camouflage in Euphemisms

McGlone, Matthew S.; Beck, Gary A.; Pfiester, Abigail

doi:10.1080/03637750600794296

Cited by 34 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…the student wanting to appear polite to the researcher) or the researcher (i.e. the student wanting to avoid offending the researcher) (McGlone et al 2006). Our finding that Far-Eastern students preferred euphemisms for intimate body regions rather than literal terms might not just reflect their stronger desire to be polite, but might also reflect cultural differences in communication between Far-Eastern and UK/Australasian students.…”

Section: Terminology Used For Intimate Body Regions and The Function mentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Euphemisms can be employed as a vehicle for communicating humour within conversation (McGlone et al 2006) and humour is often employed by individuals as a mechanism for coping with contextual and non-contextual problems (Wilkinson et al 2007). Previous research has found that males commonly employ humorous euphemisms to describe their own genitalia (Braun & Kitzinger 2001).…”

Section: Terminology Used For Intimate Body Regions and The Function mentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Don’t want to show fellow students my naughty bits: Medical students’ anxieties about peer examination of intimate body regions at six schools across UK, Australasia and Far-East Asia

Rees¹,

Wearn²,

Vnuk³

et al. 2009

Medical Teacher

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Section: Terminology Used For Intimate Body Regions and The Function mentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Terminology Used For Intimate Body Regions and The Function mentioning

confidence: 98%

Don’t want to show fellow students my naughty bits: Medical students’ anxieties about peer examination of intimate body regions at six schools across UK, Australasia and Far-East Asia

Rees¹,

Wearn²,

Vnuk³

et al. 2009

Medical Teacher

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As we are socialized both to and through language (Ochs & Schieffelin, 1984), being a member of a language community represents a cultural worldview. We live up to that cultural worldview communicatively by following prescribed discourse norms, which favor indirect over direct reference to affect-laden topics (Brown & Levinson, 1987, p. 132;McGlone et al, 2006). Mutual understanding of language elements and the following of linguistic norms further enhance self-esteem by supporting a reputation for behaving appropriately, which garners social, and therefore cultural, inclusion (Baumeister, 1982).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Euphemism provides a method for discussing sensitive topics, as it allows users to representationally displace topics that evoke negative affect by avoiding direct reference to them (McGlone, Beck, & Pfiester, 2006). Examples of euphemism are go to the bathroom for urinate or defecate; sleep together for sexual intercourse; and pass away for die.…”

Section: Relevant Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Death Be Not Profane: Mortality Salience and Euphemism Use

McCallum

McGlone

2011

Western Journal of Communication

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Terror management theorists have documented the impact of mortality salience on socioemotional outcomes but not communication behavior. The reported research explored the influence of mortality salience on language used to describe bodily processes. Consistent with findings that humans cope with death anxiety through psychological distancing from their vulnerable bodies, participants for whom mortality was made salient were more likely than control participants to describe bodily processes using euphemisms. Rate of euphemism use for eliminatory functions exceeded that for copulation overall, suggesting stronger creaturely associations with elimination. Our findings indicate that psychological distancing evoked by mortality salience is manifested in communication behavior.Humans are animals, and like other animals we eat, drink, excrete, procreate, and die. We also differ from other animals in important ways. Our opposable thumbs alone separate us from most creatures (Bunnell, 1938), allowing us to open a jar or turn a doorknob. We possess a broader emotional repertoire than other animal groups (Lewis, Haviland-Jones, & Barrett, 2008), affording us romantic love, meaningful holiday gatherings, and hurt as a result of insults. Further elevating humans are our large, complex brains and the resultant cognitive capacity that enables us to formulate language, build skyscrapers, and send instantaneous electronic messages around the globe. For all of our lofty strivings, however, we are continually subject Nancy L. McCallum is a graduate student in the Department of Communication Studies at The University of

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“…One technique people use to facilitate this disengagement is to manage impressions of the harm caused to the other group by changing the language used to describe the situation. Euphemism, used as a way of camouflaging distasteful topics (McGlone, Beck, & Pfiester, 2006), can also be applied to sanitize heinous acts, making them more palatable to the perpetrator, his or her group, or to others (Bandura, 1990). For example, through use of euphemism, mercenaries ''fulfill a contract'' rather than commit murder (Bandura, 1990), and dead civilians become ''regrettable by-products'' of a conflict (Bosmajian, 1984).…”

Section: Group Relations and Conflictmentioning

confidence: 98%