Euphemism treadmill
The euphemism treadmill ( Engl. Euphemism treadmill ) is a linguistic hypothesis. It says that every euphemism will at some point take on the negative connotation of its previous expression, as long as the actual circumstances do not change.
Often the terms concerned are socially relevant and connotatively charged terms. For example, ethnic minorities are repeatedly named with new words in order to avoid negative associations. From the other side, the desired establishment of the term is then often criticized as excessive political correctness .
The semantic counterpart to the euphemism treadmill is the dysphemism treadmill for the reverse process that a negative connotated expression experiences an improvement in meaning and consequently a new derogatory expression becomes necessary.
Origin and examples
The term "euphemism treadmill" was introduced by Steven Pinker . He observed the effect that euphemistic new word formations took up all negative associations of the words they replaced, that is, their meaning deteriorated. After Pinker show the euphemism treadmill that not words - such as variable euphemistic names - but terms in the spirit of the people primarily are (primarily). Therefore, these primary terms brought about the transfer of meaning to the secondary (subordinate) terms. George Orwell mentioned the phenomenon of the euphemism treadmill (but without using this term) as early as 1933 in his book Erledigt in Paris und London in connection with the changing London slang .
- Examples
A German example of the process of the euphemism treadmill is "unwind", which was intended to replace the term "closure of businesses and facilities", but soon took on its negative character itself.
In many cases, the associations of the word " disabled " correspond to those that " cripples " used to have. Soon after its adoption from medical jargon into everyday language , the word “disabled” became a sweary word for many people , as it previously happened with “cripple”. This is how the chain of terms cripple → disabled → disabled → person with disabilities was created . In English, is the successor term for "disabled" (Engl. Disabled the term "differently-abled"; lit. "entfähigt.") (Engl. Differently-abled discussed what is uncommon in German). Here, instead, partially tried the term "person with special needs" (Engl. Specialneeds ) to establish. Replacing the words “disabled / disability” with the words “impaired / impairment” has a chance of asserting oneself, although people are also “impaired” and their condition will probably soon improve significantly (e.g. after a bone fracture). The difference to this group is linguistically blurred.
Other attempts at upgrading by using new names hide the negative connotations of the words in question with abbreviations, for example by replacing " Gypsy " with the official -language abbreviation "MEM" (for " M obile E thnic M inderheit"). Even young to offenders as "BASU 21" ( " B articularly A uffällige S traftäter U appear nter 21"). Abbreviations of this kind - analogous to the expression "maximally pigmented" for a person with black skin color - are also perceived as standing on the verge of parody .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Steven Pinker: The Blank Slate. The modern denial of human nature. 1st edition. Berlin Verlag , September 2003, ISBN 3-8270-0509-4 , pp. 298-300.
- ↑ Steven Pinker: The Blank Slate. The modern denial of human nature. 1st edition. Berlin Verlag , September 2003, ISBN 3-8270-0509-4 , p. 299 f.