Use of euphemisms among English-Chinese female bilinguals

• Main Author: Cheng, Hilda Yi Wei
• Other Authors: Ivan Panovic
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61916
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The purpose of this study is to look at how English-Chinese bilinguals use euphemisms when describing taboo topics. 20 English-Chinese bilingual undergraduates from Singapore and China were asked to describe pictures that depicted scenes of defecation, menstruation and sexual intercourse as these topics are usually referred to with euphemisms, especially in public. The research question is to find out if these bilingual speakers tend to use more euphemisms when speaking in Chinese than in English. Results show that both Singaporean and Mainland Chinese participants tended to use slightly more euphemisms when speaking in Chinese.