The Analysis of Cold Jokes Based on Relevance Theory

Abstract

Cold joke, a neologism popular in recent years, is worth noticing. This paper gives a comprehensive definition of cold joke according to definitions claimed on the Internet and by other scholars. Thus, the attributes of cold joke different from ordinary joke is conspicuous. Then, based on Relevance Theory, the cause of cold humorous effect is analyzed in detailed examples. The ostensive-inferential communication, the factors to assess the degree of relevance, gap between optimal relevance and the biggest relevance as well as the weakest relevance are applied to explain the cause of laughter generation from the perspectives of the cold joke itself, the speaker, and the listener. The analysis helps readers to have a deeper understanding of humorous effect caused by cold jokes.