Euphemism in the TV series Greyʼs anatomy and House M. D.

analysis of selected episodes

Živa Rizmal (Author), Nada Šabec (Mentor)

Abstract

The master's thesis examines euphemisms in broadcast media: two American medical TV series - Grey's Anatomy and House M. D. The main purpose of this thesis was to examine the use of euphemistic vocabulary in TV dialogue. By examining euphemistic words and phrases in selected episodes, we sought to provide insight into current euphemism use. Euphemistic references used in the TV series reflect social attitudes towards the concepts hidden behind euphemisms. We have identified 92 different euphemisms, which appeared 182 times altogether. The relatively frequent use of euphemisms in the TV series corpus may be attributed to the sensitive or taboo topics discussed (e.g., death, bodily functions, body parts, diseases, and sex). The analysis showed that most euphemisms found in the TV series corpus are sex related. Moreover, there are not many examples where euphemisms are used as a form of doublespeak or political correctness. The results suggest that TV scriptwriters employ euphemisms in their scripts for various reasons at both levels - that of the characters and that of the viewers. The analysed euphemisms most commonly fulfil the protective function at both levels, which means they are used to shield the listener from unpleasant words and avoid offense. A wide variety of euphemism formation types is used in the selected episodes of Grey's Anatomy and House M. D. - most notably implication, metaphor, and particularisation. Furthermore, we analysed gender differences in the frequency of euphemism use in the TV series. The results showed that in the TV series corpus, male characters employ more euphemisms than female characters.

Keywords

master theses;euphemisms;TV series;taboo topics;linguistic analysis;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2021
Typology:	2.09 - Master's Thesis
Organization:	UM FF - Faculty of Arts
Publisher:	[Ž. Rizmal]
UDC:	811.111'373.49(043.2)
COBISS:	78050307
Views:	369
Downloads:	67
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
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Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary title:	Evfemizmi v serijah Talenti v belem in Zdravnikova vest: analiza izbranih epizod
Secondary abstract:	Magistrsko delo obravnava evfemizme v radiotelevizijskih medijih, in sicer v dveh ameriških medicinskih TV-serijah - Talenti v belem in Zdravnikova vest. Glavni namen zaključnega dela je raziskati uporabo evfemističnega besedišča v TV-dialogih. S preučevanjem evfemističnih besed in besednih zvez v izbranih epizodah smo želeli ponuditi vpogled v trenutno uporabo evfemizmov. Evfemistične reference, uporabljene v TV-seriji, odražajo družbeni odnos do konceptov, ki so skriti za evfemizmi. Identificirali smo 92 različnih evfemizmov, ki so se skupno pojavili 182-krat. Relativno pogosto uporabo evfemizmov v korpusu TV-serij je mogoče pripisati občutljivim ali tabu temam, ki so obravnavane (npr. smrt, nekatere telesne funkcije, deli telesa, bolezni, spolni odnos). Analiza je pokazala, da je večina evfemizmov, ki jih najdemo v korpusu TV-serij, povezana s spolnim odnosom. Ob tem ni veliko primerov, v katerih se evfemizmi uporabljajo kot oblika dvogovora ali politične korektnosti. Dobljeni rezultati kažejo, da TV-scenaristi v svojih scenarijih uporabljajo različne evfemizme iz različnih razlogov na obeh ravneh - na ravni televizijskih likov in na ravni gledalcev. Analizirani evfemizmi najpogosteje opravljajo zaščitniško funkcijo na obeh ravneh, kar pomeni, da ščitijo pred neprijetnimi besedami in (raz)žalitvijo. V izbranih epizodah serij Talenti v belem in Zdravnikova vest najdemo najrazličnejše tipe tvorbe evfemizmov, predvsem pa implikacijo, metaforo in partikularizacijo. Ob tem smo se odločili, da bomo analizirali razlike med spoloma v pogostosti uporabe evfemizmov v TV-serijah. Rezultati so pokazali, da moški liki v korpusu TV-serij uporabljajo več evfemizmov kot ženski.
Secondary keywords:	magistrska dela;evfemizmi;TV-serije;tabu teme;jezikovna analiza;Evfemizmi;Univerzitetna in visokošolska dela;
Type (COBISS):	Master's thesis/paper
Thesis comment:	Univ. v Mariboru, Filozofska fak., Oddelek za slovanske jezike in književnosti in Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko
Pages:	XIII, 149 str.
ID:	13322125