| dc.description.abstract | This study looked at the pragmatic form, function and interpretation of euphemisms as used by
the Kipsigis. It defined euphemisms according to Allan and Burridge (1991) as alternatives to
dis-preffered expressions used in order to avoid possible loss of face. The study purposed to
group euphemisms into categories according to functions, to study euphemisms as negative
politeness and off-record strategies in Kipsigis and to explore the influence of social distance
among the Kipsigis on the use of euphemisms. The theoretical framework adopted is based on
politeness theory formulated by Brown and Levinson (1987) which postulates that people use
politeness as a way of known deception, in order to help preserve each other’s face needs and
avoid face threatening acts. The study used purposive sampling to collect focused information as
it selects typical and useful cases only and saves on time and money as put forth by Oso and
Onen (2005). The target population was of Kipsigis natives who consisted of ten adults of forty
years and above who were considered to be well versed with their culture and values as well as
twenty youths ranging between the ages of eighteen to thirty years so as to bring out the
influence of age on the usage of euphemisms. The total sample was made up of twenty males and
ten females so as to establish the influence of gender on euphemistic usage. The tools used for
data collection were questionnaires, observations and oral interviews. The target population was
drawn from Kapsoit location of Kericho County. This is mainly due to the fact that the
researcher is a native speaker of kipsigis dialect. The study established that Kipsigis euphemisms
can be grouped according to functions. In addition to that, Kipsigis interlocutors exhibit both
negative politeness and off record politeness strategies in their day to day conversations. The
usage of such euphemisms is influenced by social distance such as gender and age. | en_US |
