This module is about understanding how language shapes the way we see the world. Through the novel The Giver and real-life examples, students explore how euphemisms/dysphemisms and language manipulation can soften harsh truths or even hide reality altogether. The main goal is to help students become more aware of the power of words, how they can influence opinions, control narratives, or subtly change meaning. This is especially relevant today, when we’re constantly exposed to news, social media posts, and political language that isn’t always straightforward. By learning to spot these patterns, students gain tools to think more critically, question what they’re told, and express themselves more clearly, and learn the importance of language in everyday life.
Skills: language skills, communication skills, political skills, critical thinking
Level: 1-2, 2-3
Lessons required: 3
Student preparation necessary? Yes: reading of The Giver by Lois Lowry
Interdisciplinary connections: –
Further Reading
Danilina, E. A., Kizyan, E. E., & Maksimova, D. S. (2019). Euphemisms in advertising discourse: Putting on a positive face and maintaining speech etiquette. Training, Language and Culture, 3(1), 8-22. doi: 10.29366/2019tlc.3.1.1
Walker, A. C., Turpin, M. H., Meyers, E. A., Stolz, J. A., Fugelsang, J. A., & Koehler, D. J. (2021). Controlling the narrative: Euphemistic language affects judgments of actions while avoiding perceptions of dishonesty. Cognition, 211, 104633.
Aytan, A., Aynur, B., Hilal, P., Aytac, E., & Malahat, A. (2021). Euphemisms and dysphemisms as language means implementing rhetorical strategies in political discourse. Journal ofLanguage and Linguistic Studies, 17(2), [741]-754. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.216155432002696