MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY, EUPHEMISMS AND THE CRYPTIC FUNCTION OF SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE
MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY, EUPHEMISMS AND THE CRYPTIC FUNCTION OF SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE

Summary/Abstract: Medical terminology constitutes one of the most complex and dynamic systems of specialized language in contemporary society. In addition to its primary function of providing precise designations for medical concepts and phenomena, it also fulfills important communicative, pragmatic, and psychological functions. This paper examines the relationship between medical terminology and medical euphemisms, with particular attention to the cryptic function of medical language. The study focuses on doctor–patient communication and on the linguistic strategies used to convey sensitive topics such as illness, suffering, disability, and death. Various types of medical euphemisms are analyzed, including terminological euphemisms, abbreviations and acronyms, metaphorical euphemisms, as well as periphrastic expressions and circumlocutions. The analysis demonstrates that medical language serves not only scientific precision but also functions as a tool for emotional relief and the gradual communication of distressing information. Furthermore, the paper discusses the limitations of euphemistic language, particularly in relation to psychological consideration, transparency, and the patient’s right to receive comprehensible information. The findings reveal that medical euphemisms represent an integral component of modern health communication and are closely linked to the cryptic function of medical terminology.

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