Formation and lexico-semantic features of the evolution of euphemisms in the Turkish language

Abstract

Emotional-expressive lexicology constitutes the foundation of vibrant spoken language, with euphemisms representing particularly meaningful linguistic units. While scholarly literature traditionally presents emotionality and expressiveness as independent concepts, their functional and semantic interconnectedness warrants deeper investigation, particularly within Turkish language variants. This study addresses this gap in comparative analysis of euphemistic expressions across Turkish dialects by examining the lexicological-semantic features of euphemisms in both Turkey Turkish and Azerbaijani Turkish. It was used descriptive and comparative methodological approaches; it was analyzed how euphemisms function as expressive words that retain emotional qualities while transforming negative connotations into softer expressions. It was found that euphemisms operate distinctively from metaphors—rather than enhancing artistic presentation, they primarily serve to mitigate unpleasant realities. For instance, expressions like "rahmetli oldu" (Turkey Turkish) and "rəhmətə getdi" (Azerbaijani Turkish) soften the concept of death ("öldü"), illustrating how euphemisms alleviate negative meanings while preserving conceptual integrity. It was also revealed that euphemisms act as historically-embedded social constructs that evolve alongside societal development, continually acquiring new forms and meanings. This evolutionary process contributes significantly to linguistic enrichment due to the generation of additional homonyms and synonyms. These findings enhance our knowledge of how emotional-expressive lexicology functions across Turkish language variants and allows us to clarify the social dimensions of euphemistic expression in constructing cultural meaning.