FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EUPHEMISMS IN BUSINESS DISCOURSE (BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATIONS)

Abstract

In recent years, the business community has acknowledged that negotiations should be built upon mutual respect and collaboration with a focus on interests rather than positions. This has set an updated standard against which successful negotiation criteria should be measured and analysed. This research paper examines the effectiveness of euphemisms in business negotiation discourse within the framework of principled negotiation (developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project). One of the key components of principled negotiation is BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). With the introduction of BATNA, the culture of conducting negotiations and the perception of trade-offs have immensely altered. It has now become a prevalent practice to concentrate on shared interests rather than positions, separate people from the problem, and constantly work on the process itself. In this research, the following methods have been applied: linguostylistic analysis, pragmalinguistic analysis, discourse analysis, and case study. The results of the analysis have shown that the use of euphemisms substantially fosters the efficiency of advancing core values of principled negotiations while reducing tension. As linguistic tools, they allow parties to avoid unnecessary directness, enhancing a constructive and collaborative atmosphere, even under challenging circumstances.