TITLE:
The Representation of Euphemism in Moroccan Societal Discourse
AUTHORS:
Khalid Ouzguid
KEYWORDS:
Euphemism, Moroccan Arabic (Darija), Moroccan Discourse, Taboos. Politeness Face Strategies
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.7 No.6,
June
27,
2019
ABSTRACT: Individuals are more often involved in the process of exchanging information between one another; they could do so by a shared understanding of symbol systems, that is to say, sharing the same language. This communication process is a typically social and human phenomenon which occurs on a daily basis in anticipation of carrying social experiences to others. It is undeniable that communication may differ from one culture to another. Therefore, the way of speaking varies between individuals according to their social and education backgrounds. Yet, there is all likelihood that individuals tend to soften their language while conversing about certain topics. In this regard, one has to carefully select the efficient and appropriate vocabulary as not to hurt the listener(s). This strategy of softening the language is referred to as “euphemism”. The frame of this descriptive paper focuses on casting light on the linguistic and cultural aspects of euphemism in the Moroccan language (Darija). The examples of Moroccan euphemisms which are used in this study are mainly collected from random Moroccan speakers either in the media or other social media. The description of Moroccan Darija implies that most Moroccans tend to play down certain words, or even tend to skip such words and use phonemic replacement, instead.