Conventional and occasional euphemisms in German economic journalism

This article examines the use of euphemisms in German journalistic texts on economic topics. Euphemisms include lexemes and expressions that soften the names of discordant designations of concepts. The consequences of the 2019-2020 pandemic and the Ukrainian conflict had a definite impact on the German economy and the standard of living of the German population. The rapid rise in prices and the energy crisis that has arisen in the country have led to financial problems reflected in the stratification of society into rich and poor, an increase in the number of protests due to unfavorable working conditions and even to forced closure of enterprises. Such economic difficulties are actively discussed in the German press. In order to switch the reader’s attention and smooth out the designation of acute problems, journalists use euphemized words and expressions in their articles. In a particular historical period, depending on political, economic or social changes, certain spheres of public life were subjected to productive euphemization. In this regard, it seems important to trace this process in diachrony, focusing on the economic problems of Germany in 2021-2023. The aim of the study is to identify euphemistically colored lexemes and expressions in German journalistic texts, as well as to identify groups of euphemisms and the reasons for their use. The research material included articles from the economic section of German electronic publications such as “Der Spiegel”, “Die Zeit”, “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, “Die Tageszeitung”, “Berliner Zeitung”, etc. The study revealed that such economic problems as poverty and wealth, mass protests, rising food and electricity prices, methods of limiting them, and the consequences of the energy crisis are being euphemized. The analysis made it possible to identify both conventional and occasional euphemisms, although it was found that the lexemes and expressions of the second group are noticeably prevalent in German journalism.