FREQUENCY AND FUNCTIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF EUPHEMISMS IN SPANISH DISCOURSE

Abstract

This work investigates the frequency and functional distribution of euphemistic expressions in contemporary Spanish discourse across different communicative genres and social domains. Based on the analysis of spoken and written corpora, media language, literary texts, bureaucratic-institutional discourse and everyday conversation, the study reveals that euphemisms appear with remarkably high frequency in domains traditionally considered taboo or face-threatening: death (highest frequency), serious illness, old age, economic precariousness, dismissal/employment termination, bodily functions and sexuality. The functional distribution shows a clear predominance of mitigation and politeness-oriented uses (≈65–70 %), followed by emotional self-protection of the speaker (≈15–20 %), positive reframing / face enhancement (≈10–15 %) and strategic/institutional veiling of responsibility (≈5–10 %). The results confirm the existence of a strongly conventionalized euphemistic repertoire in Spanish, characterized by its high frequency in oral interaction, its persistence in formal and institutional registers, and its particular cultural density in consolatory-religious formulas and affectionate mitigation strategies