Some Features of Polish Euphemisms

Background: The study of euphemisms as communicatively oriented, connotatively and emotionally colored lexical units is an important task of modern linguistics and linguistic didactics. Currently, the works devoted to euphemisms in Slavic languages are acquiring new dimensions, they are mainly carried out in the direction of functional, cognitive and pragmatic linguistics. Purpose: When studying Polish as a foreign language, the ability to recognize, understand and use euphemisms in one's speech becomes especially important for students. Such language reversals have a different structure, perform different functions, have different origins, principles of construction, and stylistic meaning. The author examines some features of Polish euphemisms, recorded in the A. Dąbrowska’s “Dictionary of Polish Euphemisms” and selects those that should be learned by students. The study determines which communicative topics can be enriched by introducing to students the relevant euphemisms, and also reveals the peculiarities of euphemism in the Polish language. Euphemism phrases from Polish language textbooks for foreigners are also involved to implement the last task. Results: The article analyzes more than 150 euphemisms. Based on the semantic criterion, several groups of euphemisms have been identified that should be used when studying such communicative topics: “Description of a person”, “Politeness terms related to the naming of physiological processes”, “Diseases”, “A person. Traits of character, education, intellectual and other abilities”, “Socio-political functions, positions and professions”, “Features of social behavior” and others. It was also revealed which euphemisms of the thematic groups are presented in Polish language textbooks for foreigners (“Kiedyś wrociisz tu...” E. Lipińska, E. G. Dąbska and “Coś wam powiem...” M. Szelc-Mays). Methods of euphemization in the Polish language were analyzed on the basis of the collected phrases.