Abstract
The present paper aims to shed light on the implications of euphemism in relation to the notion of face (Goffmann 1967) within the framework of linguistic politeness (Brown and Levinson 1987). For this purpose, I claim that impoliteness is a social taboo on which euphemistic mitigation acts and, with this in mind, I consider euphemism not only as a strictly lexical process used to tone down certain concepts deemed unfit for normal linguistic usage, but also as a more comprehensive phenomenon with a primarily discursive dimension. In this regard, a typology of strategies of non-hostile verbal communication is proposed. From this perspective, euphemism is understood as a powerful discursive tool used to enhance politenes, preserve the public self-image of the participants in communicative exchanges and, therefore, facilitate harmonious interpersonal relationships.
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