To Laugh Or Not To Laugh--A Preliminary Study Of Context Of Humor From A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Humor is a universal art form of communication with strong cultural note. It permeates every aspect of society and has done so for thousands of years. As Lin Yutang put it, humor expresses one's viewpoint, and even perception of the real world. In jocular, satirical linguistic forms, humor vividly reflects human civilization and wisdom with the effect of amusement and enlightenment. As the essential part of a language, the creation of humor cannot possibly depart from context, especially context of culture. It is not difficult for foreign language learners to get literal understanding of humor in another language (especially English). However, due to different cultural backgrounds, one tends to "reproduce" the humor he encounters in communication by combining it with his existing cultural assumptions, which may well result in the weakening of its pragmatic effect.For decades of years, scholars in the field of intercultural communication have committed themselves to the study of the relationship between language and culture and have presented us with a blossoming wealth of underlying principles of cultural interaction. Since there is inherent connection between humor and culture, it is desirable to explore the context in which humor is produced from a cross-cultural perspective.The thesis begins with an overview of the current theories on humor and context as well as research findings on comparison between Chinese culture and Western culture. Subsequently, a small-scale survey study is reported with the participation of 90 Chinese subjects and 60 Western subjects. The analysis of data collected in the study contributes to the following two categories of findings.First, members of different cultures may have different understanding of the same humor, as is well demonstrated in the following findings:(1) Members of different cultures have their own preference for the topics of humor.(2) Members of different cultures enjoy different expressing forms of humor.(3) As far as the objective factors of context are concerned, there exist differences in time, occasion, and object in the use of humor between members of different cultures.(4) In terms of the chief function of humor, members of different cultures take different attitudes.Second, members belonging to the same or similar cultural group(s) may not necessarily make the same response to the same humor, which can be amplified in the following points:(1) There is every chance that members of the same or similar culture(s) may appreciate the identical humor differently because of the difference in individual status, career, and self-cultivation etc..(2) That members of the same or similar culture(s) may have similar understanding of the same humor indicates the linguistic universality and the relative stability of context.Based on the above findings, this thesis provides the following implications .Many scholars are unanimous in their assertion that language and culture are inseparably intertwined. To a great extent, our language is a product of our culture. What we think about and how we think about it are direct functions of our language. So it's only in the context of culture that the utterance acquires value and meaning. In our foreign language (especially English) learning process, we'll inevitably meet with a wealth of humor. Deep appreciation of English humor rests largely on the insight into context of culture. Considering the nature of language and the circumstances of foreign language learning, the study of culture in the foreign language classroom appears to be a matter of greater importance. This approach of comparative analysis can be applicable to teaching culture in the foreign language classroom.