Humorous Language Research Articles

Translation of Puns Based on Dirk Delabastita’s Theory on Pun Translation: A Case Study of The Trials of Apollo 2: The Dark Prophecy

Pun is a prominent linguistic structure in English literature and its translation has always been a major problem for translators. This thesis agrees with Dirk Delabastita’s view that puns, with certain techniques, can be translated into another language with their functions intact. With Dirk Delabastita’s theory on the translation of puns, this thesis analyzes The Trials of Apollo 2: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan and its Simplified Chinese version Yuyan Anying translated by Weiming Gao, focusing on the accuracy and the use of the language of the pun translations. The results show that the Simplified Chinese version has some excellent translations and some flaws. It obtains a better use of editorial techniques to help explain the translation than the other methods mentioned in Dirk Delabastita’s theory. Furthermore, since the main readers of the original book and the translated version are both children and teenagers, the request for humorous language will rise and the translated version needs improving to meet this request. Some of the author’s suggestions for improvements are given accordingly.

Language Styles, Recovery Strategies and Users’ Willingness to Forgive in General Artificial Intelligence Service Recovery: A Mixed Study

As the prevalence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the service sector continues to grow, the impact of the language style and recovery strategies utilized during service failures remains insufficiently explored. This study, grounded in the theory of social presence and dual-process theory, employed a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire surveys and event-related potential (ERP) experiments to investigate the effect of different language styles (rational vs. humorous) and recovery strategies (gratitude vs. apology) on users’ willingness to forgive during the GenAI service recovery process. It further delves into the chained mediating role of perceived sincerity and social presence in this process. The findings revealed that a humorous language style was more effective in enhancing users’ willingness to forgive compared to a rational style, primarily through the enhancement of users’ perceived sincerity and sense of social presence; recovery strategies played a moderating role in this process, with the positive impact of perceived sincerity on social presence being significantly amplified when the GenAI service adopted an apology strategy. ERP results indicated that a rational language style significantly induced a larger N2 component (cognitive conflict) in apology scenarios, while a humorous style exhibited higher amplitude in the LPP component (positive emotional evaluation). This research unveils the intricate relationships between language style, recovery strategies, and users’ willingness to forgive in the GenAI service recovery process, providing important theoretical foundations and practical guidance for designing more effective GenAI service recovery strategies, and offering new insights into developing more efficacious GenAI service recovery tactics.

The impact of verbal behavior on audience engagement in Chinese talk shows: Based on a novel mediation model

This study employs the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model to construct a new mediation framework, examining the impact of Chinese stand-up comedians' language on audience engagement from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Statistical analysis of data from 415 online viewers of stand-up comedy shows revealed that comedians' humorous language significantly enhanced audience engagement by positively influencing their enjoyment. Based on this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 8 viewers to understand their specific perceptions of different types of humor. The analysis results showed that Chinese audiences had a higher acceptance of affiliative humor, self-deprecating humor, and humor incorporating traditional cultural elements, while they had lower acceptance or even rejection of aggressive humor, political satire, and vulgar humor. This study enriches the research on the relationship between Chinese stand-up comedy shows and audience engagement, providing insights for improving the production of Chinese stand-up comedy shows and for Western entertainment programs entering the Chinese market.

A Mirror for Men? Feminist Activism of #ImitatingGreasyMen in China

With the evolution of social media, video-sharing platforms have emerged as new arenas for feminist activism. This article examines a new form of hashtag activism on Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok), where Chinese female vloggers satirically imitate certain male behaviors that are sexual aggressive to women. The term sexual aggression is used inclusively to indicate a continuum of manifestations of unwanted sexual behaviors that cover all acts of unwanted sexual contact from sexual harassment up to and including rape. Based on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the top 20 most-viewed short videos tagged with #ImitatingGreasyMen, this study identifies two prevalent imitation archetypes: "Mansplainer'' and "Ordinary-But-Confident Men.", emphasizing the importance of social media platforms for women's expression of attitudes toward gender inequality using humorous language and gestures. Women can use social media platforms to mimic certain typical male behaviors through humorous language and actions in order to awaken women and stay tuned in society. The findings demonstrate a growing level of awareness and resistance to male chauvinist and patriarchal norms, suggesting a shift in traditionally male-dominated gender dynamics and the power of digital activism in challenging traditional gender norms and advancing feminist discourse in China's digital landscape.

ANALYSIS OF HUMOR LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES FROM MALE AND FEMALE PARTICIPANTS IN THE KOMPAS TV STAND UP COMEDY COMPETITION

Stand Up Comedy Kompas TV is the first single comedy competition event pioneered by Indonesian celebrities, namely Pandji Pragiwaksono, Raditya Dika, Indro Warkop, and Indra Yudhistira, one of the producers and directors of comedy programs at Kompas TV. Not just any comic can appear in this competition (show). The selected comics are the result of selection by the judges so that they can be categorized as the best finalists who of course have undoubted abilities. Stand Up Comedy Kompas TV has broadcast 10 seasons. Uniquely, male participants dominate over female participants. This certainly didn't happen accidentally. Several relevant studies have not raised gender issues in the humorous language techniques of Stand Up Comedy. The aim of this research is to describe the differences in humorous language techniques of male and female participants in the Kompas TV Stand Up Comedy competition. By combining the theories of Berger (1998) and Wijana (2001) with the pragmatic matching method, it is hoped that differences in the humor techniques of male and female participants in the competition can be found. The results showed that the humorous language techniques of male participants that were not used by female participants were (1) infantilism, (2) sexual allusion, (3) repetition, (4) repartee, (5) narcissism, (6) homonyms, ( 7) taboo words, (8) paradoxical figures of speech, (9) exchange of speaking styles, (10) greeting words, and (11) mispronunciations. The female participants' humorous language techniques that were not used by male participants during the audition were (1) role playing, (3) ridicule, (3) roasting, (4) changing words, (5) collocations, and (6) clarification. . From the findings of the use of absurd stories by comic artists, it can be said that the male participants' ability to tell stories outside of logic seems to dominate with the use of this technique by 5 out of 10 male participants in auditioning for SUCI. The language technique of self-deprecation seems to be dominantly used by female comics compared to other humorous language techniques because of the 8 female participants, there are 4 comics who use it.

A Study on the Subtitle Translation of Moon Man from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology

With the deepening of cultural exchanges among countries, film subtitle translation plays an increasingly important role in cultural exchanges. The quality of subtitle translation will also directly affect the speed of international transmission of Chinese films. The science fiction comedy, Moon Man, contains many humorous language, superb sets and stunning effects to make the film stand out. This paper intends to study Moon Man's subtitle from the perspective of Eco-Translatology, analyze the ecological environment of film translation, and illustrate how the translator adapts and selects translation to adapt to the translation ecological environment from the perspective of three-dimensional transformation, and achieve the maximum multi-dimensional selective adaptation and adaptive selection.

Psychological mechanism and cognitive basis of humorous speech

To more clearly present the psychological mechanism and cognitive basis of humorous speech, this study measured college students using various scales, discussed the role of humorous coping in resolving their social anxiety and regulating their mental health, and attempted to construct a cognitive symbol working model from three dimensions: theory of innocence, modern semiotics, and conceptual integration theory. We used the proposed model to present the psychological mechanism and cognitive basis of humorous speech. This study found that humor coping is positively correlated with college students’ social anxiety, which is positively correlated with mental health. Affinity humor style and humor coping can positively predict college students’ communication anxiety, but affinity humor style has better predictive power. This research held that relevance is the general principle of communicative cognition and has become a space of conceptual synthesis network. The combination of conceptual fusion and deviation theory with conventional theory can help us better understand verbal humor and reveal its cognitive basis. There is a close relationship between humorous language and human psychological mechanisms. Finally, there is also a clear relationship between different psychological mechanisms and the structure of humorous language.

The impact of leader humor on employee job crafting: a self-determination perspective

PurposeThe purpose of the research is to examine the impact of leader humor on employee job crafting. Using the insights from self-determination theory (SDT), we investigate the underlying mechanism of employees’ flow at work and the moderating role of employees’ playfulness trait.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a three-wave field survey of 306 employees recruited from various industries. The moderated mediation model was examined using latent structural equation model analysis.FindingsResults revealed that leader humor positively affected employees’ flow at work and subsequent job crafting. Moreover, both the direct effect of leader humor on employees’ flow at work and the indirect effect of leader humor on employees’ job crafting via flow at work were amplified by employees’ playfulness trait.Practical implicationsLeaders are encouraged to use jokes and humorous language to facilitate job crafting among playful subordinates. Organizations can create a work environment conducive to flow at work through job redesign, regardless of employees’ levels of playfulness trait.Originality/valueThe paper uncovers the critical role of flow in the relationship between leader humor and employee job crafting and identifies employees’ playfulness trait as a boundary condition in which leader humor works.

The Effects of Dehumanizing and Humorous Language in Social Protests on Behavioral Expressions of Support

The Effects of Dehumanizing and Humorous Language in Social Protests on Behavioral Expressions of Support

The Impact of Sticky Note Strategy on Students' Vocabulary

This research entitled (The jokes of ''Rishtai Mirwari'' from the angle of linguistics ambiguity), is an attempt to analyze its jokes in terms of meaning. Ambiguity is generally viewed as an aspect of the semantic level, so it is assumed that ambiguity plays a major role in the production and creation of humor; Especially the jokes of the "Rishtai Mirwari", so the study aims to demonstrate how ambiguity affects the construction of jokes. It also wants to answer an issue, such as; the question of whether the phenomenon of ambiguity in language is of particular importance; to what extent is it reflected in the language of humour. Therefore, the study assumed that cultural ambiguity (synonymy, polysemy) are more widely reflected than other types of ambiguity in jokes (Rishtai Mirwari), because this type of ambiguity is mainly at the level of meaning and the ambiguity is reflected as a semantic game in old jokes. The scope of the research, which is within the framework of the volumes of (Rishtai Mirwari), written in Central Kurdish, mainly relies on the method of (analytical-descriptive) statistics. Also, because much has been said about ambiguity in scientific research mediums, ambiguity has been discussed according to the needs of the subject. is an attempt to analyze its jokes in terms of meaning. Ambiguity is generally viewed as an aspect of the semantic level, so it is assumed that ambiguity plays a major role in the production and creation of humor; Especially the jokes of the "Rishtey Mrwari", so the study aims to demonstrate how ambiguity affects the construction of jokes. It also wants to answer an issue, such as; the question of whether the phenomenon of ambiguity in language is of particular importance; to what extent is it reflected in the language of humour. Therefore, the study assumed that cultural ambiguity (Homonymy) are more widely reflected than other types of ambiguity in jokes (Rishtey Mrwari), because this type of ambiguity is mainly at the level of meaning and the ambiguity is reflected as a semantic game in old jokes. The scope of the research, which is within the framework of the volumes of (Rishtey Mrwari), written in Central Kurdish, mainly relies on the method of (analytical-descriptive) statistics. Also, because much has been said about ambiguity in scientific research mediums, ambiguity has been discussed according to the needs of the subject.

Psychological mechanism and cognitive basis of humorous speech

To more clearly present the psychological mechanism and cognitive basis of humorous speech, this study measured college students using various scales, discussed the role of humorous coping in resolving their social anxiety and regulating their mental health, and attempted to construct a cognitive symbol working model from three dimensions: theory of innocence, modern semiotics, and conceptual integration theory. We used the proposed model to present the psychological mechanism and cognitive basis of humorous speech. This study found that humor coping is positively correlated with college students’ social anxiety, which is positively correlated with mental health. Affinity humor style and humor coping can positively predict college students’ communication anxiety, but affinity humor style has better predictive power. This research held that relevance is the general principle of communicative cognition and has become a space of conceptual synthesis network. The combination of conceptual fusion and deviation theory with conventional theory can help us better understand verbal humor and reveal its cognitive basis. There is a close relationship between humorous language and human psychological mechanisms. Finally, there is also a clear relationship between different psychological mechanisms and the structure of humorous language.

Gender mainstreaming campaign as a casualty of the online gender-based humor: A discourse analysis

Cultivation of gender-based humor in social media encourages contrarian language to gender mainstreaming. Gender-based humor posed threat on how to deliver equitable gender mainstreaming campaigns through online. The goal of this study was to determine how gender-based humor impact gender mainstreaming campaign in sociolinguistic sense. There were 14 participants in the focus group discussion providing collective narratives on proliferation of gender-based humors in social media. The participants were language teachers, Gender and Development (GAD) coordinators, and GAD advocates. Discourse analysis indicated that language use in social media hampers the delivery of gender mainstreaming campaigns. Social characterization and social distinctions were prominent components of the humor language, which then cultivated gender normativity. Gender-based humor perpetuate stereotypes, promote discriminatory practices, and reinforce power imbalances through linguistic means. In larger scale, humor language influences the reproduction of humor culture in social media. Gender mainstreaming slows down because of massive cultivation of social belief systems. The problem lies on how gender stereotypes are normalized in society through language use.

Teknik Humor Bahasa pada Pertunjukan Konto GRUP KOMEDIAN東京03 (TOKYO ZERO SAN)

Understanding Japanese humor culture is closely related to understanding Japanese communication culture in order to facilitate the communication process in the era of globalization. In this research, the researcher examines further the humor techniques used in the konto performance of the comedian group 東京03 (Tokyo Zero San) based on Berger's theory of humor techniques in order to understand the humor techniques generally used by Japanese society. In this research, the most data falls into the classification of humor techniques, language indicators of exaggeration and repartee, with 5 data each being obtained, Classification of humor language techniques: allusion, insults, and misunderstanding, each with 3 data, classification of humor techniques: bombast, definition, facetiousness, infantilism, over literalness, puns, and satire with 2 data. And classification of humor techniques, irony, ridicule and sarcasm, each of which only obtained 1 data.

“Laughter and Sex Prolong Life”: Current Trends in the Humour Practices of Russian-Speakers in Estonia

Abstract We investigate the humour production, consumption and sharing of Russian-speakers in Estonia, based on the self-reflections and self-perceptions of their humour preferences and other humour-related behaviour. By studying the representation of the humour practices of this important minority community we can get a more complete picture of humour in Estonia. Analysis of survey results reveals that according to Russian-speakers, among their favourite topics were everyday life, and sex- and family-related matters. Visual humour was the most popular form. Respondents mentioned social media as the primary way of sharing humour, but oral transmission remained important as well. The language of the shared humour was primarily Russian, and the content was mainly not specific to the Estonian cultural context. As humorous vernacular expression offers insights into the mechanisms of identity-building and integration, the choice of language and of source can be interpreted as a way to create and maintain a local identity. On the whole, Russian-speakers in Estonia are reluctant to discuss their minority status in a humorous manner.

Stereotypical humour in the sitcom "Will and Grace"

Stereotypes have often been associated with negative outcomes such as discrimination, prejudice, and bias. Nonetheless, this study investigates the potential for humour within stereotypical discourse in a sitcom. Through an analysis of humorous language used in sitcom, this research aims to uncover ways in which stereotypical utterances might bring about laughter as an outcome. Using the data from seven U.S. sitcom Will and Grace episodes throughout the eighth season, I generated the data from the show's transcript. I analysed how two characters, a white American woman and her maid, communicate with each other with a content analysis approach to categorize the different themes of humour presented in the seven chosen episodes. To determine of what is considered to be humorous utterances, I used the audience's laughter as the marker (Messerli 2016). The research demonstrated that the use of stereotypical humor involves exploiting the preconceived notions about another party's country of origin, physical appearance, and cognitive capacity. Further, my findings showed that an individual with higher power often performed stereotypical humour towards that with less power, while Holmes et al. (2003) saw humour as a linguistic technique for people who lacked power to establish a favourable image of themselves by challenging authority. Ultimately, this research promises to advance our understanding of the complex relationship between humour, stereotyping, and societal attitudes.

Pragmatic Strategy Analysis of Humorous Language in I Can I BB from the Perspective of Politeness Principle

I can I BB, a debate talk show, seeks to discover the "most talkative people" in the world of Chinese discourse, those with distinctive perspectives and exceptional eloquence, in order to integrate a topic close to life and a fresh and diverse language style, thereby attracting the affection of a large number of youthful audiences. This paper examines the pragmatic principles reflected in the debate discourse of the I can I BB by beginning with pragmatics theory. Using the politeness principle of American philosopher Leech, this paper analyses I can I BB from the perspective of violation of the principle, and uses the actual corpus reported by the programme to analyse its specific reflection in the debate strategy.

Maintaining Funny Effects in a Target Language: Translating Humorous Expressions

Translating a humorous language is difficult for translators since even when the intended meaning is translated, the humorous effect may be missed due to the different translation strategies used in translating the text. This study intends to reveal the methods used in translating the language that contributed to the humorous effect in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid graphic series. Hopefully, this study will contribute to the literature on translating Humour into Arabic and determine whether translating Humour into Arabic effectively conveys its intended meaning beyond the language barrier. Random but funny chunks from various volumes were picked as the data source. Leppihalme’s (1997) humour translation model was used to analyse the data. A reading experiment was conducted with 17 teenagers to rate some chosen translated and non-translated sections to assess whether the methods succeeded. Then the obtained data were also subjected to a comparative mixed analysis. According to the analysis, there appears to be a repeating approach used to translate the text into Arabic, and this method is also used to translate potentially funny parts regardless of what context and co-text could contribute to the sense of humour effect. According to the findings, 37 individuals in both monolingual and bilingual groups thought the given Arabic-translated parts were not funny at all. In contrast, only 12 thought the same chunks in their English origin were not funny at all.

"Sometimers, Alzheimer's? I love that! That's definitely me": Readers' Responses to Fictional Dementia Narratives.

This article presents findings from an interdisciplinary project which invited readers to experience the impact of dementia via fictional characters' narratives. Combining methods from critical gerontology and literary linguistics-a field that examines the language of literature-we undertook an empirical reader response study of dementia fiction. We constructed a large corpus of dementia fiction; selecting 12 extracts, each containing first-hand, focalized accounts of fictional characters' experiences of living with dementia. Readers (31) were purposively sampled for 4 separate reading groups-student social workers (9); general public (9); family carers (6); and people with dementia (7). Over 6 weeks they engaged in separate, facilitated, on-line group discussions of extracts. Discussions were independently coded using ATLAS.ti. Although readers from all 4 groups reported that fictional characters drew them into the internal life of someone with dementia, some carers questioned whether fictional characters' experiences were plausible. Readers with dementia recognized themselves in the extracts; viewing fictional characters as eloquent envoys of their lived experiences of diagnosis, social isolation, loss of language, and use of humor. Fictional characters offer an entry point for understanding contrasts in caregiver and care-receiver experiences of dementia. Fictional characters are potentially useful for moving dementia narratives beyond monstrous cultural metaphors and onto a disability-based rights agenda.

Humour in the classroom

The present study was conducted with the purpose of investigating the use of humour by EFL teachers in a private language institute in the context of Iran. In so doing, the study made an attempt to identify the forms of humour EFL teachers opt to use more frequently in relation to the students’ teaching in the classroom through observing their classroom teachings. Moreover, an interview was held with the EFL teachers to seek their perceptions with regard to the functions humorous language can serve in the process of language teaching and learning and their suggestions as to the implementation of humour in the classroom. The findings of the study demonstrate that Iranian EFL teachers show the inclination to use jokes, physical humour and riddles more frequently than other forms of humour. Moreover, the results of the interview reveal that EFL teachers assign some more commonly functions to the humorous language in the classroom such as creating a cheerful and friendly atmosphere, acting as a relaxing, comforting, and tension reducing device, increasing student interest and enjoyment, increasing learners’ concentration and motivation, and finally improving the quality of learning. Finally, the suggestions for appropriate use of humour and implications of the study are discussed in the result and conclusion sections, respectively.

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE COP AND THE ANTHEM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FUNCTIONAL STYLISTIC

As the most influential theory in the last 20th century, Systemic Functional Linguistics provided a brand new perspective for analysis of literary works. This theory enables the linguistics and scholars to analyze language concisely and deeply. The Cop and the Anthem, as one of O. Henry’s famous short story, revealed the real side of American society in humorous language. This paper interprets the text of the Cop and the Anthem from the perspective of Functional Stylistic to analyze its language expression characteristics, plot setting and full-text cohesion. It’s expected to provide reference for the functional stylistic analysis of relevant types of short stories.