PC vs. euphemism

[Alina Israeli]

Speaking of euphemisms, it is a long standing tradition in Russian to  
avoid naming the cause of death in case of a natural death: dolgaja  
prodolzhitel'naja bolezn' is usually cancer. Neozhidanno or  
skoropostizhno skonchalsja usually a heart attack, and so on.  
Although in recent years the information seeps through, unlike let's  
say even twenty years ago when the word "rak" was not to be uttered  
(although even then on occasion deducable).


Alina Israeli
LFS, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC. 20016
(202) 885-2387 	
fax (202) 885-1076
aisrael at american.edu




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