Cooperative Principle in English Euphemism

Originally euphemism was used in place of a religious word or phrase that should not be spoken aloud. It is a cultural as well as a social phenomenon. Euphemism is restricted not only by the rules in linguistics, but also by the communicative environment. While cooperative principle proposed by Paul Grice is the basic principle to ensure a successful communication. This paper mainly dealt with the possible violating the cooperative principle in the use of euphemisms in order to help achieve a successful cross-cultural communication.