Comparison of verbal humor in Chinese and American stand-up comedy from a pragmatics perspective

Abstract

 Verbal humor has been investigated from a multitude of perspectives based on a range of humor theories. Among various humor carriers, stand-up comedy originating from the US, has become increasingly popular globally, with the result that an increasing number of scholars have started to explore and decode ‘hidden’ humor mechanisms found therein. However, comparative studies of the adoption of certain techniques for humorous effects in stand-up comedy performance from different cultures, especially between America and China, are rare. The focus of this paper is on the comparison of verbal humor in American and Chinese stand-up comedy where puns, ridicule and hyperbole are examined using the theoretical frameworks of the General Theory of Verbal Humor (GTVH) and Face-threatening Acts (FTA). The study is based on the analysis of 355 and 476 pieces of data drawn respectively from six American stand-up comedians and 18 Chinese counterparts. After exploring six different knowledge resources—script opposition (SO), logical mechanism (LM), situation (SI), target (TA), narrative strategies (NS), language (LA) and politeness strategies, it is concluded that private ridicule is the preferred modus operandi in American stand-up comedy while self-ridicule is generally preferred by the Chinese. The apparent discrepancies among preferences for particular humor devices can be accounted for with reference to the distinction between their social and cultural backgrounds. It is hoped the paper may contribute to related research on how stand-up comedians can perfect their performance and amuse the masses with more tact.