Oaths Euphemisms

effects does such terminology have on those around us? Can what we casually toss around in

The essay “The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor discusses the many definitions of a word and how its meaning can change according to context and delivery. She made this point by telling a story of her childhood and the first time she heard the n-word used by a white person in a derogatory, demeaning way. She described her this situation that took place when she was in third-grade and a boy in front of her in math class called her the n-word. She had no idea what it meant to be called that in a negative way because the people she grew up around only used it as positive and empowering. At the end of her essay, she once again emphasized how easy it is to change a word into something hateful simply depending on who says it and their

Lucas, K., & Fyke, J. P. (2014). Euphemisms and ethics: A language-centered analysis of Penn State's Sexual Abuse Scandal. Journal of Business Ethics, 122(4), 551-569. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1777-0

Politicians craft their words to mask the truth and shift away any negative attention. Euphemisms is one method for politicians to comfortably address controversial topics. For example, Tony Abbott refers to the deployment of Australian air forces and troops to Iraq as an “humanitarian mission”. The word ‘humanitarian’

Weed is a medication that is gotten from the dried and cut leaves of the hemp plant known as "cannabis sativa". Weed has an assortment of road names, for example, "grass", "Mary Jane", "pot", "smoke", "reefer", "herb", and "weed". The dynamic

Mr. McWhorter exemplifies that with people using the abbreviation "LOL" (laugh out loud). While at first the meaning was intended to just mean laugh out loud, it has taken a more generalized approach in it's use today. He states that "LOL" is much more used to express empathy to the person receiving, and not so much it's prior definition. He provides examples to show how words change over time as in silly meaning blessed in the past. Other words that have changed are gay (happy), bitch (female dog), and awful (to

Growing up in an environment filled with a variety of cultures, there are words that mean different things and are used in different ways. In Hawaii, there is an official language, but there is also a slang language, “pidgin”, that was used during the era where sugar plantations were very popular. They created this language so that people of different ethnicities could communicate with one another as they traveled from other countries such as, Japan, China, Philippines, and Korea. Today, pidgin and the Native Hawaiian language are used amongst the locals allowing us to connect on another level by keeping our culture alive. Some words, however; have changed since ancestral times from something innocent to something derogatory and insulting. The word, “haole”, pronounced “hau-lay”, was used to describe Captain Cook and his men, today; this word is used to describe Caucasian people and is used as an insult amongst one another.

Euphemism are types of words that make things sound better than they are. Dyseuphemism are types of words that make things sound worse than they are.

In the essay “Doubts About Doublespeak”(1993), William Lutz depicts how utilizing doublespeak can damage a society. Lutz begins with providing examples of doublespeak that range from silly to serious, showing how doublespeak can be harmless, but also disguise a truth with a manipulation of words. There are many different types of doublespeak, Lutz breaks it down into four different categories euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook and inflated language. By breaking them down, Lutz shows the audience that they share similarities in which they make something negative sound better than it is. There are more types of doublespeak that can be seen all around us, moreover, as more doublespeak is being created everyday and everywhere it becomes difficult

Legalization of marijuana has been an extremely controversial topic in the united states, as well as many other countries, for years. There is evidence that marijuana has been consumed since around 2700 B.C. It often served as a substitute for alcohol in the middle east, as the Quran banned followers of Islam from drinking alcohol. Marijuana was first introduced to America in 1545 by the Spanish. The colony of Jamestown used hemp, a variety of marijuana, as a means of creating paper, clothes, and many fibrous materials, creating a fair amount of jobs and income. The production of cotton took over as a cheaper and faster means of making those goods, replacing marijuana. Marijuana was then mostly used for recreational use, sparking clubs called “tea pads” to pop up. The increase in popularity of reefer in the 1920s is often argued to be the spark that birthed jazz music. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) intended to give marijuana a bad reputation, stating that it is highly addictive, and would lead users into doing other narcotics. It was made illegal in the 1930s to give the alcohol market much more room to grow. Marijuana is now considered a schedule 1 substance, meaning it is very easy to abuse and has no medical value, despite the evidence that it has many potential uses in medicine. It is considered as dangerous as heroin, despite

11) Euphemism is a mild expression substituted for when one is considered to be to harsh when referring to something unpleasant.

With society constantly changing we see situations where simple things like a word differentiate from its original meaning or send certain connotations when communicating. For instance the word thick has been around for quite sometime, but the way people use it in this day and age can be a complement and or offensive.

Throughout the 19th century, Americans used the word “cannabis” when referring to the plant. Pharmaceutical companies like Bristol-Myers Squib and Eli Lilly used cannabis in medicines that are widely sold in United States pharmacies to treat insomnia, migraines, and rheutmatism. After an upheaval of the war, scores of Mexican peasants migrated to the United States borders, and they brought with them their popular form of intoxication, which they called “Mariguana”.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).

Nowadays people have forgotten that alcohol and cigarettes (Tobacco) are not drugs, why? Because the consumption of this is so normal, that society sees it as nothing bad, they for surely know that it can make bad for the body, but in this case they don’t see the consumption of this ‘’drugs’’ as bad as the other ones that are not legal, in this case ‘’marihuana’’.