journal of linguistic studies

ather referred to as our eastern neighbours, and instead of speaking about these countries
individually and using their individual names, they are generally described as our
immediate common neighborhood. 7 This can be illustrated by the following examples
…Croatia, more and more strongly incorporated in the European Union and the
NATO, will continue her responsible mission in the south-east of Europe. (from
the speech of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia in the occasion of the
visit of the President of the United States of America, Mr. George W. Bush)
(http://www.vlada.hr/hrvatski/premijer/aktualnosti/govori/2008/govor_predsjedni
ka_vlade_rh_u_prigodi_posjeta_predsjednika_sad_a_georgea_w_busha)
…We, however, do not observe our European way as separated from the region of
which we are a part. We hold that the whole region, i.e. each country in the
region individually, must have a European perspective. (From the speech of the
then President of the Republic of Croatia in Hungarian Parliament at the
conference “Together in Diversity”, Budapest 9 th May 2008)
(http://www.predsjednik.hr/Default.aspx?art=15072)
…Rule of law, respect for human rights and rights of minorities, the power of
argument, instead of the argument of power, these are elements of democratic
heritage to which our immediate common neighbourhood still needs get
accustomed to. (From the speech of the then President of the Republic of Croatia
in Hungarian Parliament at the conference “Together in Diversity”, Budapest 9 th
May 2008) (http://www.predsjednik.hr/Default.aspx?art=15072)
In the sphere of economy and economic policy, the purpose of public announcements
often extends beyond the simple need to inform the public about the current economic
situation and serves a different purpose: to emphasize certain achievements. Even if these
accomplishments are in reality much less spectacular or important as presented (or maybe
precisely because they are much lesser than expected), they still need to be shown in the
best light. To this end, actual, concrete data and indicators are replaced with or wrapped
up in expressions that will achieve the desired effect and decorate the achievement with
necessary superlatives. Moreover, a frequent procedure is that which is used, for example,
by doctors when they must inform their patients about unpleasant news, in such cases
euphemization includes highly technical terms known to the “insiders” but not necessarily
to the majority of the population. Thus, the public is impressed by the expression itself,
without really understanding what is really hiding behind it. Depending on the topic and
field in which they are used, euphemisms can include various acronyms or abbreviations,
numerical expressions, and even words that are used by particular social groups or words
belonging to slang. Some of these cases are shown in the following examples:
…unemployment has been reduced to the historically lowest level. (There are, of
course, no actual figures or percentages)
…We shall intervene against the floating exchange rate and depreciation of the
Kuna.
…We must continue with our consistent economic policy and avoid short-term
interventionist moves.
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