STRATEGIC FACEWORK AND INDIRECTNESS IN URBAN URDU-SPEAKING MIDDLE AND UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS DISCOURSE

Abstract

Euphemism has traditionally been examined as a lexical strategy through which speakers substitute socially acceptable expressions for taboo or dispreferred terms. However, such a narrow understanding fails to capture the interactional complexity through which euphemism operates in everyday discourse. This study reconceptualizes euphemism as structured pragmatic behavior embedded in facework, politeness management, and relational negotiation. Focusing on urban Urdu-speaking middle and upper-middle class communities in Pakistan, the research identifies nineteen recurring euphemistic strategies derived from naturally occurring discourse in televised interviews, talk shows, advertisements, and observed

professional and educational interactions.

The analysis integrates Grice’s Cooperative Principle, Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory, Goffman’s notion of facework, and sociolinguistic perspectives on class-indexed communication. Findings demonstrate that euphemism in this speech community functions not merely as lexical substitution but as patterned strategic behavior employed to mitigate refusals, soften criticism, negotiate hierarchy, avoid confrontation, manage institutional decisions, and preserve relational harmony. While certain strategies reflect culturally specific values—particularly religious framing and honor-sensitive communication—many of the identified patterns show cross-cultural applicability.

The study contributes to pragmatics and sociolinguistics by offering a systematic taxonomy of euphemistic strategies and by demonstrating that euphemism operates as a central mechanism of social equilibrium in contemporary urban discourse.