THE ROLE OF EUPHEMISMS IN THE ENRICHING OF THE GERMAN AND THE ENGLISH VOCABULARIES

Abstract

Research indicate that euphemisms are not always used to beautify, but also to soften, alleviate, and
sometimes to hide the essence of something. In order to increase, strengthen and sweeten the artistic effect of
speech, the word artist creates a series of euphemisms in the choice of words, sometimes knowingly using softer,
indirect, covert and well-intentioned expressions. In the German and the English languages, euphemisms are
divided into 4 main groups according to the sources: religious euphemisms, socio-moral euphemisms, political
euphemisms, socio-aesthetic euphemisms.
Religious euphemisms reflect socio-moral ideas that have a social, philosophical and moral content. Unlike
religious euphemisms, socio-spiritual euphemisms contain various ethical norms in society – human morality,
behaviour and attitudes. Political euphemisms are formed and used for certain political purposes. In every class
society, the ruling circles try to deceive the masses by covering up their negative, vicious and unpleasant activities,
and thus they achieve their reactionary and bandit goals. Socio-aesthetic euphemisms reflect the laws of etiquette
and dignity.
Analyses indicate that euphemisms arise as a product of human creative thinking and contain the requirements
of the specific characteristics of the word artist. Thus, it is obvious that euphemisms have a sharp effect, they are
an important method and means in the language to explain a certain point, to reveal an intended issue. From this
point of view, euphemisms can be considered as one of the necessary and useful linguistic techniques in the
language, because the word is the main means and the first element of the language.