PC vs. euphemism

[Gasan Gusejnov]

tsss, caveamus Native Speakers (TM) :),

for people in Russia did talk and did write not only about unforgettable
cancer but also about forgotten fresh water crustaceans. Both Soviet
folklore (also with its Rabelaisian hilarious obscenities) and official,
semi-official or quasi-official literature is full of various examples. It
is a matter of fact, that some people under certain circumstances tried to
avoid this word, as they do it now (e.g., some say "otdyxaet" instead "spit"),
others never use slang, etc., but it is just a segment of the variety of
speech habits. As to the Standard Philistine Russian, you'll find its
relatives all over the world (suburban? petty bourgeois?). Other Russian
examples of this philistine usage: ushel iz zhizni instead of umer, kushaetor
podkreplyaetsya instead of yest, person of Jewish Nationality instead of Jew,
zhiznelyub instead of babnik, and dozens and dozens of  similar expressions.

One should be careful with the Native Speakers (TM) in two cases.
When they/we say always and when they/we say never.
My dear Fellow Native Speakers (TM), please, never say always. Especially,
when you always say never, one never knows if there are any always at all in
our always So Different (TM) Soviet/Russian Culture. :) (although, of
course, everyone knows, the Russian Native Speakers (TM) never  use smayly!)

Best,
gg <http://stanislavsky.ng.ru/tema/2008-03-01/48_kovarstvo.html>



On 10/04/2008, Robert Orr <colkitto at rogers.com> wrote:
>
> the word "rak" was not to be uttered
>
> > (although even then on occasion deducable).
> >
>
> so how did peopl talk about fresh water crustaceans,  or, indeed any
> crustaceans (rakoobraznyj)
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-- 
Гасан Гусейнов

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