“Comedy lurks at secondary levels
of meaning.”
Eric Idle of Monty Python’s Flying Circus,
in an interview on National Public Radio,
Fresh Air with Terry Gross, May 12,
2004.
The Sound System
Some humor is based on our
understanding of the rules
and patterns of sound in our
language.
Puns/Kid’s Jokes
Q. Why do seagulls live the by the sea?
A. Because if they lived by the bay,
they'd be bagels.
Q. What do you get when you cross an
elephant and a rhino?
A. Elephino!
The Lexicon
Humor may also be based on
our knowledge of the meaning
of words and possible
ambiguities.
The Zen master at the hot dog stand
Q. What did the Zen master say to
the guy at the hot dog stand?
A. Make me one with everything.
Accidental Humor- ambiguity
Retired teachers have no class.
They also have no principals.
This one is mixed: principals/principles
But also: syntax: no class
adjective or noun?
One of the important Saints is St. Andrew (in Spanish
- San Andreas). The patron saint of generosity. In fact,
people say he was generous to a fault.
(What background info do you need to get this?)
Morphology - affixes
Some humor is based on our
understanding of the rules of
prefixes and suffixes - and what are
prefixes and suffixes.
The Simpsons
In an episode Homer uses medical marijuana
for his eyes. Homer is hanging out with Ottothe bus driver, and they are both stoned and
Otto says
"They call them fingers, but I've never
seen them fing".
In a Washington Post contest readers supply
alternate meanings for various words.
Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much
weight you have gained.
Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified demeanor
assumed by a proctologist immediately before
he examines you.
At a party, a Mexican visitor was telling guests about
himself. He said, "And I have a charming and
understanding wife but, alas, no children."
Listeners seemed confused so he said, "You see, my
wife is unbearable."
Puzzled glances prompted him to try to clarify:
"What I mean is, my wife is inconceivable."
As his companions seemed amused, he floundered
deeper into the intricacies of the English language,
explaining triumphantly, "That is, my wife, she is
impregnable!"
Syntax - Grammar
Humor may even be found in the
organization of phrases in a sentence.
A pretty girl walked into a dress shop and
said to the manager, “May I try on the dress
in the window?”
“Go ahead” , said the manager. “It might help
business.”
Knight: Sire, the people are revolting!
King: Yes, … very.
Some fun with adjective/pres-part ambiguity.
"Very" and similar
adjectivals force the adjective reading.
From Jay Leno's headlines (Tonight Show
Oct. 2004)
The article was about a baseball player and
the headline read:
"St. Martin's Johnson still growing."
Lexical ambiguity or sytntactic?
Semantics
This can include humor that plays
with the expected meaning of
utterances or violations of
expected conversational practices.
Justice of the Peace (to bride at her
wedding):
Do you take this man to be
your lawful wedded husband in
good times or in bad?
Bride (after brief pause):
In good times.
Violates Grice’s Cooperative Principle
During a recent staff meeting in Heaven, God,
Moses and St. Peter concluded that the behavior
of ex-President Clinton necessitated an 11th
commandment.
They worked long and hard to get the wording
just right so it would have the same style and
majesty as the original 10.
After many revisions they finally agreed on:
“Thou shalt not comfort thy rod with thy staff.
A teenager lost a contact lens while playing
basketball in his driveway. After a fruitless
search, he told his mother the lens was nowhere
to be found. Undaunted, she went outside and in a
few minutes returned with the lens in her hand.
"How did you manage to find it, Mom?" the
teenager asked.
"We weren't looking for the same thing," she
replied. "You were looking for a small piece of
plastic. I was looking for $150."
Sense and Reference
An elderly pastor, looking over his large
congregation on Easter morning, startled them
with this announcement: "My friends, realizing
that I will not see many of you until next Easter,
may I take this opportunity to wish all of you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"
Implicature
Why might this joke be difficult for a
nonnative speaker of English?
Two clergymen were discussing the sad state
of sexual morality.
"I didn't sleep with my wife before we were
married," one of them declared self-righteously.
"Did you?"
"I'm not sure," said the other. "What was her
maiden name?”
When do cannibals leave the table?
When everyone's eaten.
The first cannibal asked the 2nd cannibal, "Aren't
you done eating yet?"
The 2nd cannibal replied, "I'm on the last leg now."
What did the cannibal get when he was late for
dinner?
The cold shoulder.