Euphemism in Cross-Cultural Communication

Have you ever seen or met someone with a physical handicap disability? Do you know what it’s like for a person who has a physical form of disability? You may or may not. Randolph Bourne, in “The Handicapped” will be the first to tell you that it is quite the challenge. He has a form of disability that makes him look very different compared to other people. His face is deformed, he is oddly short, he’s forced to walk funny, and is laughed at for being handicapped. Randolph Bourne physical handicaps have been a hindrance on his life because he must work harder to overcome adversity, he is faced with discriminatory behavior from other people, and he had a rough childhood due to his handicaps.

When people think of “disabled” the words incapable, broken down, powerless come to mind, But they are not they are so unbelievably strong, because they have learned to go through life in a completely new way which is just what makes them beautiful.

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

Disabled. Disabled is a word commonly defined as being physically or mentally impaired, injured, or incapacitated (dictionary.com). There's a stigma over the word disabled with its negative connotation. Nancy Mairs, author of “I Am a Cripple, dislikes this word because she thinks that the English language incorporates too many euphemism in our speech. Mairs wants people to use more straightforward language, even if it might be offensive to others. In “ I Am a Cripple”, Mairs eloprates on how she became disabled from the disease multiple sclerosis or (M.S). M.S., a disease that attacks the central nervous system and often disables or cripples the person who has this disease. To describe her first symptoms of M.S.(infinitive phrase) Mairs flashbacks to when she was in college. Also how some days she wishes she was not disabled. Allusions in Nancy Mairs’s “I Am a Cripple” provide a deeper understanding of her complex feelings of having M.S.

Disability is a definition of a physical or mental condition which impacts on a person’s movements, activities and senses. People with disabilities were informed of bias and disadvantages compared to an ordinary person. There are many biases and prejudices contributed to the discrimination of individuals with a disability. Partly because of social connotations the disabled people are useless, cannot work. In fact, these extraordinary people always bring and do incredible things. They not only overcome their grim fate, but also bring good things to life, especially those who are perfectly considering better than an ordinary person, they are not aware of the capacity of individuals disabilities with them characteristics such as loyalty, dedication, and hard work.

The article “introducing disability Studies” by Ronald J. Berger was an eye opener in uncovering the past history of negative stigma associated with having a disability. Through history people have felt the need to stare at people with disabilities or to turn away in fear of maybe contracting the “disease”. This negative attitude was positively reinforced by ordinances such as the Chicago “ugly law” in which a person with physical deformities would have to pay a fine for simply being too “disgusting” looking to other citizens. This law was in place from 1880 to 1973, which is pretty recent in history. However there are positive glimpse in history when it came to uncovering and defining disabilities. Men like Leo Kanner and Asperger have dedicated

Death has always been and will be a topic that just a few want to talk, but since time immemorial man has worshiped their dead, and this is reflected in the various rituals and forms of burial. The anguish of death has been considered the deepest anguish of man. Death is the inevitable companion of life, is the final stage. It can occur at any age, suddenly or after a long illness. Despite knowing that someday we will have to die the death of a loved one is a terrible fact, very difficult to accept, that affects everyone around the deceased person. When the link with the deceased breaks, the suffering is so great, that they put into question the fundamentals of being, of human existence and our deepest beliefs, affecting significantly the basic family and social relationships.

While saying someone is handicapped might be the socially acceptable thing to do, Mairs argues that it makes no sense, saying that the definition of handicapped is someone deliberately put at a disadvantage, which she sees as absurd because no one has put her in her condition. Maris shows her tone of annoyance by calling words like “handicapped” and “differently abled” as “pure verbal garbage”. Maris hints to the reason of this improper usage of words to the want of making things seem less detrimental as they are. She lists examples of how people refer to countries as “under developing” but not “undeveloped” as a way for society to place hope into something that just isn’t there. Mairs relates this to her cause since her condition will never get better and therefore people should stop avoiding her issue and see her for who she really is. She openly challenges people to call her what she wants to be called, a “cripple”. Maris tells how she sees words such as handicapped as a “hint at the truth”. Mairs tells that society won’t be able to change easily, and she says crippledness will stay in the realm of socially uneasy words just like

How do you think society treats people with disabilities? I was treated differently in sixth grade when I was bullied for being “fat.” I wasn’t bullied physically but it was emotional and mental bullying. This jerk always called me fat even though his best friend was way bigger than me. This scarred me permanently. Society doesn't accept things that are slightly different than what they believe is normal.

    A person with a disability, or handicap, can be defined as someone with a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial or long-term adverse affect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities (Employment 2). Handicap workers face many challenges in the work place that the average person overlooks. Also, many special arrangements and alterations have been made to the workplace for people with handicaps. Accessibility, transportation, workload, and salary are just some of the many issues that must be considered with the prospect of employing the handicap.

It doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but our society today lacks to understand that. In today’s time different is not accepted, people that are different are discriminated, looked down upon and usually picked on. People with disabilities are seen as different creatures by most people, the disabled don’t choose to be the way they are, but still our society alienates them. There are different types of disabilities, some type of disabilities are; mental disability, physical disability, learning disability and socializing disability. These disabilities are seen as weakness in our society that hence contribute to the stereotype that leads to the discrimination against the disabled.

Disabled people are those whose impairments, physical or mental, restrict them, affecting their daily lives, ability to cope and employment prospects. (Madden, D, 1999).

The language is a part of the culture and the carrier of the culture at the same time. The culture can not get away from the language. The language can not get away from the culture, either. It is impossible to study a foreign language text without considering the culture it embodied. Idiom is the essence and crystallization of a language and culture. It is the summary of life experiences of the people in a particular district. Usually, it is short but it can reflect the special features of a certain culture. Therefore, the accurate understanding of the English idiom does not only involve the phonetic conversion but also involve the western cultural conversion. It requires that the learner know the western culture background well.

Globalization has also contributed to an increasing interest in English-language education worldwide. In response to the emergence of English as a world-linking, global language, an increasing number of schools have stepped up English–language requirements, even at undergraduate levels. The argument is that a universal teaching language is necessary as a natural consequence of globalization.

This week’s discussion dealt with Individuals and Disabilities. Over the years, people who have a “disability" have been subjected to prejudice and more. And the first way to diminish someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person as "less-than," as "the others—not like us," and so forth. Once a person has been identified this way, it makes