| Abstract [eng] |
The object of the thesis is Lithuanian euphemisms that are related to animals and human beings and their environment. Studies on euphemisms are not extensive in Lithuania, however, there are individual articles on contemporary euphemisms or certain groups of euphemisms. There are very few extensive studies on traditional animalistic euphemisms and euphemisms related to the human being and their environment and works comparing them to euphemisms in other languages. Therefore this is a relevant study that tackles one of the least stable layers of lexis and which opens new vistas for prospective studies of Lithuanian euphemisms. The discussion of euphemisms is based on folk and mythology data which works as a reference point allowing the explanation of the occurrence and motivation of euphemisms. Lithuanian empirical data served as the basis to compile a 2000-word database and 994 euphemisms were selected for the research. Certain groups were excluded from the analysis, which included dialectal words, jargon words, pejoratives, dysphemisms and words that in standard language bear the function of a euphemism but exist as regular words. The thesis consists of a theoretical and an empirical part. The latter is further subdivided into smaller sections according to concrete names of objects that are euphemised. . |
