Euphemisms are essential linguistic tools that serve to express phrases potentially eliciting negative emotions or deemed unacceptable by society in a more softened manner. They regulate individuals' social and cultural interactions, making communication more effective and acceptable by providing polite and appropriate expressions. Understanding the cognitive foundations of euphemisms is crucial to comprehend their formation mechanisms. This article explores how euphemisms are formed within cognitive approaches and examines how the human brain approaches language.Euphemisms are linguistic devices used to soften the expression of topics considered negative or taboo in society. They minimize potential discomfort in communication by transforming coarse or harsh expressions into more polite and acceptable forms. For instance, instead of saying "died," phrases like "passed away" or "lost their life" are used to soften the impact of discussing death. Similarly, instead of "fired from a job," expressions like "staff restructuring" or "economic adjustment" are employed to reduce the negative emotional impact of the event. Euphemisms also regulate social relationships by providing expressions that align with norms of politeness, thereby enhancing mutual respect among individuals. Thus, euphemisms preserve the subtleties of language and communication, facilitating the expression of sensitive topics in a more softened and acceptable manner.
Keywords: euphemism, mechanism, cognitive, framing, method, expression