PUNS, EUPHEMISMS, AND IDIOMS

Have you ever thought that translations from one

language to another are very literal? Does anything

ever get “lost in translation”? Probably. Does some

interpretation of language rely on knowledge of the

culture of the mainstream users of the language?

Possibly. Do you know people who do not “Get” your

jokes? Understanding puns, euphemisms, and idioms

may help them to “Get the joke.”

JOKE WITH PUN IN SPANISH

Doctor, doctor, ¿qué tal ha ido el parto?

"Doctor, doctor, how did the birth go?"

- Bueno, todo muy bien, pero a su hijo le hemos tenido que poner oxígeno.

"Well, everything very well, but we have had to put on your son [put your son on]

oxygen." [ponerle = "put on him, to administer oxygen to the child “ in this case]

- ¿¿Oxígeno?? Con la ilusión que a mí me hacía ponerle Federico...

"Oxygen?? And after my heart was so set on calling him Federico . . . " [ponerle = “to

name him"]

Do you get this pun in Spanish? Maybe. Maybe not. Do you see that someone learning

English is going to have difficulty with puns in English jokes too?

DEFINITIONS OF PUN AND EUPHEMISM

PUN = noun

1.the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or

suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of

words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in

meaning; a play on words.2.the word or phrase used in this way.

Ex: An elevator makes ghosts happy because it lifts their spirits.

EUPHEMISM = noun

1.the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for

one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

2.the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”

IDIOM DEFINITION

IDIOM =noun 1.an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the

usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket  (which is also a

euphemism – are you confused

yet?) or hang one's head,  or from the general grammatical

rules of a language, as the table round  for the round table, and that is not a constituent o

f a 

larger expression of like characteristics.

2.a language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people.

3.a construction or expression of one language whose parts

correspond to elements in another language but whose total

structure or meaning is not matched in the same way in the second language.

4.the peculiar character or genius of a language.

BRITISH IDIOMS

“Bob’s your uncle.” It happened in an instant

“Gordon Bennet!” An exclamation of surprise.

"I say, old chap, that's just not cricket." This relies on

understanding that cricket has strict rules, and the “old

chap” obviously does not play by acceptable standard

rules.

Do you see you might not “get” some of the jokes even in

an English speaking country?

PUN-EXPLAIN IT

EUPHEMISM-EXPLAIN IT

IDIOM- EXPLAIN THE CARTOON

Do you begin to see that you cannot simply

translate words and understand what is meant on

every occasion? There are double meanings, hidden

meanings, subtle meanings, and then there are puns,

euphemisms, and idioms. As an extra credit

opportunity during this semester, you may bring an

illustrated pun, euphemism, or idiom to share with

the class. You must explain the wording and what it

means. (Ten points of credit). This is a ONE time

deal!

EXTRA CREDIT!