Are there languages with no euphemisms? The Next CEO of Stack OverflowAre there any languages that mark nouns as mass?How do languages with imperfect aspect typically convey distinctions between habitual, iterative, and progressive aspects?What is the relationship between syntax and semantics?Languages with no past tense?Why can verbs with imperfective morphology have a perfective meaning?Is language is more about “intent” rather than a great tool for communication?Is there a term that refers to eliminating a word from a text being translated in order to achieve dynamic equivalence?Are there any languages that either effectively don't have verbs or that somehow get around using a “standard” verb system?What are some plausible patterns that could develop in alien languages?Triggering emotions with language

Interfacing a button to MCU (and PC) with 50m long cable

How to make a variable always equal to the result of some calculations?

Preparing Indesign booklet with .psd graphics for print

How did people program for Consoles with multiple CPUs?

Why do professional authors make "consistency" mistakes? And how to avoid them?

Elegant way to replace substring in a regex with optional groups in Python?

Is it professional to write unrelated content in an almost-empty email?

Return the Closest Prime Number

How do I go from 300 unfinished/half written blog posts, to published posts?

If/When UK leaves the EU, can a future goverment conduct a referendum to join the EU?

Why didn't Khan get resurrected in the Genesis Explosion?

How do we know the LHC results are robust?

Why do airplanes bank sharply to the right after air-to-air refueling?

Help understanding this unsettling image of Titan, Epimetheus, and Saturn's rings?

What is the result of assigning to std::vector<T>::begin()?

What is the purpose of the Evocation wizard's Potent Cantrip feature?

What flight has the highest ratio of time difference to flight time?

If the heap is initialized for security, then why is the stack uninitialized?

Why is the US ranked as #45 in Press Freedom ratings, despite its extremely permissive free speech laws?

WOW air has ceased operation, can I get my tickets refunded?

MessageLevel in QGIS3

Is micro rebar a better way to reinforce concrete than rebar?

Why don't programming languages automatically manage the synchronous/asynchronous problem?

What do "high sea" and "carry" mean in this sentence?



Are there languages with no euphemisms?



The Next CEO of Stack OverflowAre there any languages that mark nouns as mass?How do languages with imperfect aspect typically convey distinctions between habitual, iterative, and progressive aspects?What is the relationship between syntax and semantics?Languages with no past tense?Why can verbs with imperfective morphology have a perfective meaning?Is language is more about “intent” rather than a great tool for communication?Is there a term that refers to eliminating a word from a text being translated in order to achieve dynamic equivalence?Are there any languages that either effectively don't have verbs or that somehow get around using a “standard” verb system?What are some plausible patterns that could develop in alien languages?Triggering emotions with language










4















I feel that euphemisms are a function of how society views certain aspects of life and feels that they should not be talked about directly. So are there languages with no euphemisms?










share|improve this question

















  • 15





    I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one. Euphemisms do not require their language to accomodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words.

    – Flater
    yesterday






  • 5





    Whether a word is currently being used as a euphemism might be arguable and culturally dependent. Wiktionary says this about toilet: "From Middle French toilette ('small cloth')...from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. Toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures." Is toilet still a euphemism? I would guess that, to most US English speakers, a "toilet" is a fixture for receiving excrement and its euphemistic sense has been lost. This is why phrase "eau de toilette" used in perfume commercials is funny to me.

    – WaterMolecule
    yesterday











  • ...at the very opposite end of the spectrum (and a little off-topic), waaay past "water closet" territory, I'm reminded of the Star Trek episode "Darmok", where the alien species speaks entirely in allegory (eg “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” == "working together"). In this case, it's entirely possible to construct a language without (active) verbs (blurring cultural & linguistic).

    – michael
    18 hours ago












  • There are some languages which may fall into this category, but which not enough is known to say for sure, without talking to the few experts. I am thinking specifically of Pirahã. I would not be at all surprised to find that Pirahã does not have euphemisms.

    – Tharpa
    7 hours ago















4















I feel that euphemisms are a function of how society views certain aspects of life and feels that they should not be talked about directly. So are there languages with no euphemisms?










share|improve this question

















  • 15





    I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one. Euphemisms do not require their language to accomodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words.

    – Flater
    yesterday






  • 5





    Whether a word is currently being used as a euphemism might be arguable and culturally dependent. Wiktionary says this about toilet: "From Middle French toilette ('small cloth')...from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. Toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures." Is toilet still a euphemism? I would guess that, to most US English speakers, a "toilet" is a fixture for receiving excrement and its euphemistic sense has been lost. This is why phrase "eau de toilette" used in perfume commercials is funny to me.

    – WaterMolecule
    yesterday











  • ...at the very opposite end of the spectrum (and a little off-topic), waaay past "water closet" territory, I'm reminded of the Star Trek episode "Darmok", where the alien species speaks entirely in allegory (eg “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” == "working together"). In this case, it's entirely possible to construct a language without (active) verbs (blurring cultural & linguistic).

    – michael
    18 hours ago












  • There are some languages which may fall into this category, but which not enough is known to say for sure, without talking to the few experts. I am thinking specifically of Pirahã. I would not be at all surprised to find that Pirahã does not have euphemisms.

    – Tharpa
    7 hours ago













4












4








4


1






I feel that euphemisms are a function of how society views certain aspects of life and feels that they should not be talked about directly. So are there languages with no euphemisms?










share|improve this question














I feel that euphemisms are a function of how society views certain aspects of life and feels that they should not be talked about directly. So are there languages with no euphemisms?







semantics sociolinguistics






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked yesterday









Ishan UpadhyayIshan Upadhyay

3615




3615







  • 15





    I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one. Euphemisms do not require their language to accomodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words.

    – Flater
    yesterday






  • 5





    Whether a word is currently being used as a euphemism might be arguable and culturally dependent. Wiktionary says this about toilet: "From Middle French toilette ('small cloth')...from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. Toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures." Is toilet still a euphemism? I would guess that, to most US English speakers, a "toilet" is a fixture for receiving excrement and its euphemistic sense has been lost. This is why phrase "eau de toilette" used in perfume commercials is funny to me.

    – WaterMolecule
    yesterday











  • ...at the very opposite end of the spectrum (and a little off-topic), waaay past "water closet" territory, I'm reminded of the Star Trek episode "Darmok", where the alien species speaks entirely in allegory (eg “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” == "working together"). In this case, it's entirely possible to construct a language without (active) verbs (blurring cultural & linguistic).

    – michael
    18 hours ago












  • There are some languages which may fall into this category, but which not enough is known to say for sure, without talking to the few experts. I am thinking specifically of Pirahã. I would not be at all surprised to find that Pirahã does not have euphemisms.

    – Tharpa
    7 hours ago












  • 15





    I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one. Euphemisms do not require their language to accomodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words.

    – Flater
    yesterday






  • 5





    Whether a word is currently being used as a euphemism might be arguable and culturally dependent. Wiktionary says this about toilet: "From Middle French toilette ('small cloth')...from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. Toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures." Is toilet still a euphemism? I would guess that, to most US English speakers, a "toilet" is a fixture for receiving excrement and its euphemistic sense has been lost. This is why phrase "eau de toilette" used in perfume commercials is funny to me.

    – WaterMolecule
    yesterday











  • ...at the very opposite end of the spectrum (and a little off-topic), waaay past "water closet" territory, I'm reminded of the Star Trek episode "Darmok", where the alien species speaks entirely in allegory (eg “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” == "working together"). In this case, it's entirely possible to construct a language without (active) verbs (blurring cultural & linguistic).

    – michael
    18 hours ago












  • There are some languages which may fall into this category, but which not enough is known to say for sure, without talking to the few experts. I am thinking specifically of Pirahã. I would not be at all surprised to find that Pirahã does not have euphemisms.

    – Tharpa
    7 hours ago







15




15





I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one. Euphemisms do not require their language to accomodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words.

– Flater
yesterday





I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one. Euphemisms do not require their language to accomodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words.

– Flater
yesterday




5




5





Whether a word is currently being used as a euphemism might be arguable and culturally dependent. Wiktionary says this about toilet: "From Middle French toilette ('small cloth')...from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. Toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures." Is toilet still a euphemism? I would guess that, to most US English speakers, a "toilet" is a fixture for receiving excrement and its euphemistic sense has been lost. This is why phrase "eau de toilette" used in perfume commercials is funny to me.

– WaterMolecule
yesterday





Whether a word is currently being used as a euphemism might be arguable and culturally dependent. Wiktionary says this about toilet: "From Middle French toilette ('small cloth')...from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. Toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures." Is toilet still a euphemism? I would guess that, to most US English speakers, a "toilet" is a fixture for receiving excrement and its euphemistic sense has been lost. This is why phrase "eau de toilette" used in perfume commercials is funny to me.

– WaterMolecule
yesterday













...at the very opposite end of the spectrum (and a little off-topic), waaay past "water closet" territory, I'm reminded of the Star Trek episode "Darmok", where the alien species speaks entirely in allegory (eg “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” == "working together"). In this case, it's entirely possible to construct a language without (active) verbs (blurring cultural & linguistic).

– michael
18 hours ago






...at the very opposite end of the spectrum (and a little off-topic), waaay past "water closet" territory, I'm reminded of the Star Trek episode "Darmok", where the alien species speaks entirely in allegory (eg “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” == "working together"). In this case, it's entirely possible to construct a language without (active) verbs (blurring cultural & linguistic).

– michael
18 hours ago














There are some languages which may fall into this category, but which not enough is known to say for sure, without talking to the few experts. I am thinking specifically of Pirahã. I would not be at all surprised to find that Pirahã does not have euphemisms.

– Tharpa
7 hours ago





There are some languages which may fall into this category, but which not enough is known to say for sure, without talking to the few experts. I am thinking specifically of Pirahã. I would not be at all surprised to find that Pirahã does not have euphemisms.

– Tharpa
7 hours ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















11














Their presence across all known world languages constitutes a linguistic universal according to research from Allan and Burridge (1991)
Refer to this article here. And to this paper, here



As @Wilson interestingly points out, it's not easy to say, "There exists one", also because, where do you draw a line and say this particular saying is not a Euphemism for something slightly more taboo. Since there is no scale, no definite measure. All languages will mostly have some sort of euphemism construction.



Unless they are artificial languages or very specific sociolect (like in a precision field like surgery), where you have to be totally clear about the point you are making and slight confusion can make a lot of deprecation.






share|improve this answer
































    9














    I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one.



    Euphemisms do not require the currently spoken language to accommodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words that are being spoken.



    The only way you could have a language where a particular euphemism doesn't work is if that language simply never defines the word that the speaker wishes to use. But that still doesn't mean that the speaker is incapable of using any euphemisms.



    Even in a strict context which doesn't allow for nuance, you can be euphemistic. Imagine a world of mathematics where being a "circle" is considered as offensive language. I could still introduce euphemisms by saying things like:




    Tommy is an n-gon with a [particular size of] n.




    All I need to change to nuance my euphemism is change my statement about how big the value of n is.



    Anyone who understands the existence of euphemisms (which is a cultural thing) will understand that I'm trying to get away with calling Tommy a circle (or close to it) without saying so.






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.



























      8














      It's hard to answer a question with a definite negative, since that leaves the possibility open for someone to come along later and say, "I know an example which disproves your position".



      But I think that naturally occurring human languages are all going to have euphemisms, since humans seem to like that.



      The only languages I know which do not have euphemisms are ones which are designed to be unambiguous. They include Lojban and SQL.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 4





        "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

        – Luke Sawczak
        yesterday











      • Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

        – Wilson
        yesterday






      • 6





        @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

        – Quassnoi
        yesterday







      • 5





        @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

        – Graham
        yesterday






      • 4





        Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

        – Dawood ibn Kareem
        23 hours ago


















      -2














      If I say, "you know best", I mean you are wrong but I can't be bothered to offend or argue with you. This is a euphemism for the speaker but not necessarily for the listener if they do not realize they have been closed down.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.















      • 2





        Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

        – WiccanKarnak
        8 hours ago











      Your Answer








      StackExchange.ready(function()
      var channelOptions =
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "312"
      ;
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
      createEditor();
      );

      else
      createEditor();

      );

      function createEditor()
      StackExchange.prepareEditor(
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: true,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      imageUploader:
      brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
      contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
      allowUrls: true
      ,
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      );



      );













      draft saved

      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function ()
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2flinguistics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f30990%2fare-there-languages-with-no-euphemisms%23new-answer', 'question_page');

      );

      Post as a guest















      Required, but never shown

























      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes








      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      11














      Their presence across all known world languages constitutes a linguistic universal according to research from Allan and Burridge (1991)
      Refer to this article here. And to this paper, here



      As @Wilson interestingly points out, it's not easy to say, "There exists one", also because, where do you draw a line and say this particular saying is not a Euphemism for something slightly more taboo. Since there is no scale, no definite measure. All languages will mostly have some sort of euphemism construction.



      Unless they are artificial languages or very specific sociolect (like in a precision field like surgery), where you have to be totally clear about the point you are making and slight confusion can make a lot of deprecation.






      share|improve this answer





























        11














        Their presence across all known world languages constitutes a linguistic universal according to research from Allan and Burridge (1991)
        Refer to this article here. And to this paper, here



        As @Wilson interestingly points out, it's not easy to say, "There exists one", also because, where do you draw a line and say this particular saying is not a Euphemism for something slightly more taboo. Since there is no scale, no definite measure. All languages will mostly have some sort of euphemism construction.



        Unless they are artificial languages or very specific sociolect (like in a precision field like surgery), where you have to be totally clear about the point you are making and slight confusion can make a lot of deprecation.






        share|improve this answer



























          11












          11








          11







          Their presence across all known world languages constitutes a linguistic universal according to research from Allan and Burridge (1991)
          Refer to this article here. And to this paper, here



          As @Wilson interestingly points out, it's not easy to say, "There exists one", also because, where do you draw a line and say this particular saying is not a Euphemism for something slightly more taboo. Since there is no scale, no definite measure. All languages will mostly have some sort of euphemism construction.



          Unless they are artificial languages or very specific sociolect (like in a precision field like surgery), where you have to be totally clear about the point you are making and slight confusion can make a lot of deprecation.






          share|improve this answer















          Their presence across all known world languages constitutes a linguistic universal according to research from Allan and Burridge (1991)
          Refer to this article here. And to this paper, here



          As @Wilson interestingly points out, it's not easy to say, "There exists one", also because, where do you draw a line and say this particular saying is not a Euphemism for something slightly more taboo. Since there is no scale, no definite measure. All languages will mostly have some sort of euphemism construction.



          Unless they are artificial languages or very specific sociolect (like in a precision field like surgery), where you have to be totally clear about the point you are making and slight confusion can make a lot of deprecation.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited 16 hours ago









          Manuel B

          32




          32










          answered yesterday









          WiccanKarnakWiccanKarnak

          9391424




          9391424





















              9














              I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one.



              Euphemisms do not require the currently spoken language to accommodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words that are being spoken.



              The only way you could have a language where a particular euphemism doesn't work is if that language simply never defines the word that the speaker wishes to use. But that still doesn't mean that the speaker is incapable of using any euphemisms.



              Even in a strict context which doesn't allow for nuance, you can be euphemistic. Imagine a world of mathematics where being a "circle" is considered as offensive language. I could still introduce euphemisms by saying things like:




              Tommy is an n-gon with a [particular size of] n.




              All I need to change to nuance my euphemism is change my statement about how big the value of n is.



              Anyone who understands the existence of euphemisms (which is a cultural thing) will understand that I'm trying to get away with calling Tommy a circle (or close to it) without saying so.






              share|improve this answer










              New contributor




              Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.
























                9














                I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one.



                Euphemisms do not require the currently spoken language to accommodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words that are being spoken.



                The only way you could have a language where a particular euphemism doesn't work is if that language simply never defines the word that the speaker wishes to use. But that still doesn't mean that the speaker is incapable of using any euphemisms.



                Even in a strict context which doesn't allow for nuance, you can be euphemistic. Imagine a world of mathematics where being a "circle" is considered as offensive language. I could still introduce euphemisms by saying things like:




                Tommy is an n-gon with a [particular size of] n.




                All I need to change to nuance my euphemism is change my statement about how big the value of n is.



                Anyone who understands the existence of euphemisms (which is a cultural thing) will understand that I'm trying to get away with calling Tommy a circle (or close to it) without saying so.






                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                  9












                  9








                  9







                  I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one.



                  Euphemisms do not require the currently spoken language to accommodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words that are being spoken.



                  The only way you could have a language where a particular euphemism doesn't work is if that language simply never defines the word that the speaker wishes to use. But that still doesn't mean that the speaker is incapable of using any euphemisms.



                  Even in a strict context which doesn't allow for nuance, you can be euphemistic. Imagine a world of mathematics where being a "circle" is considered as offensive language. I could still introduce euphemisms by saying things like:




                  Tommy is an n-gon with a [particular size of] n.




                  All I need to change to nuance my euphemism is change my statement about how big the value of n is.



                  Anyone who understands the existence of euphemisms (which is a cultural thing) will understand that I'm trying to get away with calling Tommy a circle (or close to it) without saying so.






                  share|improve this answer










                  New contributor




                  Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.










                  I feel like this is more of a cultural question than a linguistic one.



                  Euphemisms do not require the currently spoken language to accommodate them. Euphemisms rely on a person's understanding that A is a less extreme version of B, regardless of the language of the words that are being spoken.



                  The only way you could have a language where a particular euphemism doesn't work is if that language simply never defines the word that the speaker wishes to use. But that still doesn't mean that the speaker is incapable of using any euphemisms.



                  Even in a strict context which doesn't allow for nuance, you can be euphemistic. Imagine a world of mathematics where being a "circle" is considered as offensive language. I could still introduce euphemisms by saying things like:




                  Tommy is an n-gon with a [particular size of] n.




                  All I need to change to nuance my euphemism is change my statement about how big the value of n is.



                  Anyone who understands the existence of euphemisms (which is a cultural thing) will understand that I'm trying to get away with calling Tommy a circle (or close to it) without saying so.







                  share|improve this answer










                  New contributor




                  Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited yesterday





















                  New contributor




                  Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  answered yesterday









                  FlaterFlater

                  1912




                  1912




                  New contributor




                  Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.





                  New contributor





                  Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.






                  Flater is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                      8














                      It's hard to answer a question with a definite negative, since that leaves the possibility open for someone to come along later and say, "I know an example which disproves your position".



                      But I think that naturally occurring human languages are all going to have euphemisms, since humans seem to like that.



                      The only languages I know which do not have euphemisms are ones which are designed to be unambiguous. They include Lojban and SQL.






                      share|improve this answer


















                      • 4





                        "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

                        – Luke Sawczak
                        yesterday











                      • Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

                        – Wilson
                        yesterday






                      • 6





                        @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

                        – Quassnoi
                        yesterday







                      • 5





                        @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

                        – Graham
                        yesterday






                      • 4





                        Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

                        – Dawood ibn Kareem
                        23 hours ago















                      8














                      It's hard to answer a question with a definite negative, since that leaves the possibility open for someone to come along later and say, "I know an example which disproves your position".



                      But I think that naturally occurring human languages are all going to have euphemisms, since humans seem to like that.



                      The only languages I know which do not have euphemisms are ones which are designed to be unambiguous. They include Lojban and SQL.






                      share|improve this answer


















                      • 4





                        "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

                        – Luke Sawczak
                        yesterday











                      • Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

                        – Wilson
                        yesterday






                      • 6





                        @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

                        – Quassnoi
                        yesterday







                      • 5





                        @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

                        – Graham
                        yesterday






                      • 4





                        Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

                        – Dawood ibn Kareem
                        23 hours ago













                      8












                      8








                      8







                      It's hard to answer a question with a definite negative, since that leaves the possibility open for someone to come along later and say, "I know an example which disproves your position".



                      But I think that naturally occurring human languages are all going to have euphemisms, since humans seem to like that.



                      The only languages I know which do not have euphemisms are ones which are designed to be unambiguous. They include Lojban and SQL.






                      share|improve this answer













                      It's hard to answer a question with a definite negative, since that leaves the possibility open for someone to come along later and say, "I know an example which disproves your position".



                      But I think that naturally occurring human languages are all going to have euphemisms, since humans seem to like that.



                      The only languages I know which do not have euphemisms are ones which are designed to be unambiguous. They include Lojban and SQL.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered yesterday









                      WilsonWilson

                      1,866520




                      1,866520







                      • 4





                        "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

                        – Luke Sawczak
                        yesterday











                      • Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

                        – Wilson
                        yesterday






                      • 6





                        @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

                        – Quassnoi
                        yesterday







                      • 5





                        @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

                        – Graham
                        yesterday






                      • 4





                        Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

                        – Dawood ibn Kareem
                        23 hours ago












                      • 4





                        "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

                        – Luke Sawczak
                        yesterday











                      • Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

                        – Wilson
                        yesterday






                      • 6





                        @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

                        – Quassnoi
                        yesterday







                      • 5





                        @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

                        – Graham
                        yesterday






                      • 4





                        Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

                        – Dawood ibn Kareem
                        23 hours ago







                      4




                      4





                      "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

                      – Luke Sawczak
                      yesterday





                      "Little Johnny Lobjan never uses euphemisms," said the teacher. "He's so... so... unambiguous." :)

                      – Luke Sawczak
                      yesterday













                      Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

                      – Wilson
                      yesterday





                      Of course a euphemism is kind of an ambiguity, right? As in, is she actually powdering her nose or has she really gone for a slash like everyone believes?

                      – Wilson
                      yesterday




                      6




                      6





                      @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

                      – Quassnoi
                      yesterday






                      @Wilson: euphemism is replacing an unpleasant word or phrase with a neutral one which might or might not change the face meaning. Egg is a chicken fruit after all. And one could argue that LEFT JOIN is a euphemism for LEFT OUTER JOIN because the latter is unpleasantly long to type!

                      – Quassnoi
                      yesterday





                      5




                      5





                      @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

                      – Graham
                      yesterday





                      @Wilson To be unambiguous, is that an ASCII code 47 or 92 slash?

                      – Graham
                      yesterday




                      4




                      4





                      Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

                      – Dawood ibn Kareem
                      23 hours ago





                      Yeah, TRUNCATE is definitely a euphemism in SQL. Since when has destroying something's entire contents been known as truncating? Have we ever heard Mr Trump threatening to "truncate" North Korea?

                      – Dawood ibn Kareem
                      23 hours ago











                      -2














                      If I say, "you know best", I mean you are wrong but I can't be bothered to offend or argue with you. This is a euphemism for the speaker but not necessarily for the listener if they do not realize they have been closed down.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.















                      • 2





                        Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

                        – WiccanKarnak
                        8 hours ago















                      -2














                      If I say, "you know best", I mean you are wrong but I can't be bothered to offend or argue with you. This is a euphemism for the speaker but not necessarily for the listener if they do not realize they have been closed down.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.















                      • 2





                        Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

                        – WiccanKarnak
                        8 hours ago













                      -2












                      -2








                      -2







                      If I say, "you know best", I mean you are wrong but I can't be bothered to offend or argue with you. This is a euphemism for the speaker but not necessarily for the listener if they do not realize they have been closed down.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.










                      If I say, "you know best", I mean you are wrong but I can't be bothered to offend or argue with you. This is a euphemism for the speaker but not necessarily for the listener if they do not realize they have been closed down.







                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer






                      New contributor




                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      answered 8 hours ago









                      Jonathan KimmittJonathan Kimmitt

                      1




                      1




                      New contributor




                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                      New contributor





                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                      Jonathan Kimmitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.







                      • 2





                        Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

                        – WiccanKarnak
                        8 hours ago












                      • 2





                        Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

                        – WiccanKarnak
                        8 hours ago







                      2




                      2





                      Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

                      – WiccanKarnak
                      8 hours ago





                      Hi Jonathan ! Welcome the Linguistics SE . we use comments for suggestions or short definitions, The OP doesn't need to know the definition of Euphemism, it's implied when he asks a more complex question on it. Hope you find Linguistics SE nice to be on!

                      – WiccanKarnak
                      8 hours ago

















                      draft saved

                      draft discarded
















































                      Thanks for contributing an answer to Linguistics Stack Exchange!


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid


                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function ()
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2flinguistics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f30990%2fare-there-languages-with-no-euphemisms%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                      );

                      Post as a guest















                      Required, but never shown





















































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown

































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown







                      Popular posts from this blog

                      រឿង រ៉ូមេអូ និង ហ្ស៊ុយលីយេ សង្ខេបរឿង តួអង្គ បញ្ជីណែនាំ

                      Crop image to path created in TikZ? Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Planned maintenance scheduled April 17/18, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Crop an inserted image?TikZ pictures does not appear in posterImage behind and beyond crop marks?Tikz picture as large as possible on A4 PageTransparency vs image compression dilemmaHow to crop background from image automatically?Image does not cropTikzexternal capturing crop marks when externalizing pgfplots?How to include image path that contains a dollar signCrop image with left size given

                      Romeo and Juliet ContentsCharactersSynopsisSourcesDate and textThemes and motifsCriticism and interpretationLegacyScene by sceneSee alsoNotes and referencesSourcesExternal linksNavigation menu"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–"10.2307/28710160037-3222287101610.1093/res/II.5.31910.2307/45967845967810.2307/2869925286992510.1525/jams.1982.35.3.03a00050"Dada Masilo: South African dancer who breaks the rules"10.1093/res/os-XV.57.1610.2307/28680942868094"Sweet Sorrow: Mann-Korman's Romeo and Juliet Closes Sept. 5 at MN's Ordway"the original10.2307/45957745957710.1017/CCOL0521570476.009"Ram Leela box office collections hit massive Rs 100 crore, pulverises prediction"Archived"Broadway Revival of Romeo and Juliet, Starring Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad, Will Close Dec. 8"Archived10.1075/jhp.7.1.04hon"Wherefore art thou, Romeo? To make us laugh at Navy Pier"the original10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O006772"Ram-leela Review Roundup: Critics Hail Film as Best Adaptation of Romeo and Juliet"Archived10.2307/31946310047-77293194631"Romeo and Juliet get Twitter treatment""Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen""Romeo and Juliet: Orlando Bloom's Broadway Debut Released in Theaters for Valentine's Day"Archived"Romeo and Juliet Has No Balcony"10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O00778110.2307/2867423286742310.1076/enst.82.2.115.959510.1080/00138380601042675"A plague o' both your houses: error in GCSE exam paper forces apology""Juliet of the Five O'Clock Shadow, and Other Wonders"10.2307/33912430027-4321339124310.2307/28487440038-7134284874410.2307/29123140149-661129123144728341M"Weekender Guide: Shakespeare on The Drive""balcony"UK public library membership"romeo"UK public library membership10.1017/CCOL9780521844291"Post-Zionist Critique on Israel and the Palestinians Part III: Popular Culture"10.2307/25379071533-86140377-919X2537907"Capulets and Montagues: UK exam board admit mixing names up in Romeo and Juliet paper"Istoria Novellamente Ritrovata di Due Nobili Amanti2027/mdp.390150822329610820-750X"GCSE exam error: Board accidentally rewrites Shakespeare"10.2307/29176390149-66112917639"Exam board apologises after error in English GCSE paper which confused characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet""From Mariotto and Ganozza to Romeo and Guilietta: Metamorphoses of a Renaissance Tale"10.2307/37323537323510.2307/2867455286745510.2307/28678912867891"10 Questions for Taylor Swift"10.2307/28680922868092"Haymarket Theatre""The Zeffirelli Way: Revealing Talk by Florentine Director""Michael Smuin: 1938-2007 / Prolific dance director had showy career"The Life and Art of Edwin BoothRomeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and JulietEasy Read Romeo and JulietRomeo and Julieteeecb12003684p(data)4099369-3n8211610759dbe00d-a9e2-41a3-b2c1-977dd692899302814385X313670221313670221