SPEAKING GENTLY: EUPHEMISM, GENDER, AND POWER IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH PHILOLOGY

Abstract

Euphemism, as a linguistic strategy, plays a crucial role in mediating social norms, gender identities, and power relations in contemporary English. This article examines euphemism through a philological and sociolinguistic lens, focusing on its intersection with gendered discourse and structures of power. Drawing on feminist linguistics, corpus-based studies, and pragmatic theory, the study explores how euphemistic expressions both reflect and reinforce ideological hierarchies. The findings reveal that euphemisms function not merely as politeness devices but as instruments of social control, often masking inequality, mitigating taboo, and shaping perceptions of gender roles. While traditional theories suggest women employ euphemisms more frequently, recent corpus-based research challenges this assumption, pointing instead to contextual and institutional factors. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that euphemism is embedded in power-laden discourse, influencing how reality is constructed and negotiated in modern English communication.