英汉幽默的跨文化比较分析

Ⅰ摘要幽默作为一种语言和文化现象，不仅展现着一个民族的语言特色，还能映照出该民族历史、社会以及价值观念等深层次的文化底蕴。但由于文化的差异，同样的幽默在不同语境下所产生的效果可能截然不同。本论文以英汉幽默的跨文化比较分析为研究主题，旨在探讨英汉幽默的异同。第一章为引言，介绍了研究背景、意义和论文结构。随着全球化进程加速，幽默作为文化的重要载体，直接影响交际质量。第二章为文献综述，回顾了幽默的基本概念、分类以及国内外相关研究，为后续章节的深入分析奠定基础。第三章详细分析了英汉幽默的相似之处，包括修辞手法的使用（如双关、讽刺和夸张）、语音及词汇的歧义。第四章转向探讨两者之间的差异，涉及幽默内容、对象和表达方式的不同。这些差异不仅体现了两种语言的特性，也反映了深层的文化差异。第五章给出了三个实用方法，能让英汉幽默在跨文化交流时发挥更好的作用。第六章总结了研究的主要发现，并指出了研究的局限性和未来研究方向。这包括了心理学视角和课堂教学中幽默的应用，以及文化动态变化对幽默理解的影响。从跨文化的角度分析英汉幽默能够帮助人们在国际交往中有效沟通，减少误解与冲突。同时促进对不同文化的理解和尊重，增强不同文化之间的认同感，推动社会和谐发展。关键词：英汉幽默；跨文化；比较分析；差异ⅡABSTRACTHumor,asalanguageandculturalphenomenon,reflectsanation’slanguagetraitsandunderlyinghistorical,social,andvaluesystems.However,culturaldifferencescanaffecthowhumorisperceived.Thispaperfocusesonthecross-culturalcomparativeanalysisofEnglishandChinesehumor,aimingtoexplorethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthem.ChapterOneistheintroduction,whichintroducestheresearchbackground,significance,andpaper’sstructure.Asglobalizationaccelerates,humor,asakeyculturalcarrier,directlyimpactscommunicationquality.ChapterTwoisaliteraturereview,whichreviewsbasicdefinitions,classifications,andrelatedhumorresearchbothdomesticallyandinternationally,settingthestagefordeeperanalysis.ChapterThreedetailsthesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChinesehumor,suchastheuseofrhetoricaldeviceslikepuns,irony,andhyperbole,andphoneticandlexicalambiguity.ChapterFourturnstoexplorethedifferencesbetweenthetwo,involvingthedifferencesincontent,objects,andexpressionmethods.Thesedifferencesnotonlyreflectthecharacteristicsofthetwolanguages,butalsoshowdeepculturaldifferences.ChapterFiveproposesthreestrategiestoenhancetheeffectivenessofEnglishandChinesehumorincross-culturalcommunication.ChapterSixconcludesbysummarizingthemainfindings,notinglimitations,andsuggestingfutureresearchdirections.Thisincludesthehumor’sapplicationinpsychologyandclassroomteaching,aswellasculturaldynamics’impactonhumorunderstanding.Analyzinghumorfromacross-culturalperspectivecanenhanceinternationalcommunicationbyreducingmisunderstandingsandconflicts,andimprovingcommunicationflexibilityandadaptability.Italsopromotesunderstandingandrespectfordifferentcultures,strengthensculturalidentity,andfosterssocialharmony.Keywords:EnglishandChineseHumor;Cross-culturalCommunication;ComparativeAnalysis;DifferencesContentsTOC\o"1-3"\h\u26676ChapterOneIntroduction VChapterOneIntroductionUnderthebackgroundofglobalization,theworldpresentsunprecedentedcomplexityandchallenges.Theincreasinglyfrequentcross-borderexchangeshaveledtothedeepeningofinterpersonalcommunication,thusformingamoreinterconnectedworld.Researchshowsthathumor,asacommonandeffectivemeansofcommunication,playsauniqueroleinpromotingcross-culturalcommunication.Itsmaineffectistoeffectivelyalleviatethecommunicationbarrierscausedbyculturaldifferencesandenhancetheharmonyofinterpersonalrelationships.Atadeeperlevel,theproperuseofhumornotonlyenrichesdailylifeexperience,butalsoinjectspositiveemotionalfactorsintosocialinteraction.1.1BackgroundoftheResearchWiththeaccelerationofglobalizationandtheincreasingfrequencyofcross-culturalcommunication,humor,asauniversalemotionalexpression,hasdifferentdefinitionsandexpressionsindifferentculturalcontexts.Humorcanbeabridgeforunderstandingininterpersonalcommunication,butitcanalsoleadtomisunderstandingorevenconflictduetoculturaldifferences.Thebackgroundfortheemergenceofcross-culturalcomparativestudyofEnglishandChinesehumoristwofold:firstly,thehighdegreeofcorrelationbetweenlanguageandculturedeterminesthattheacceptanceofhumorisinevitablysubjecttothedifferencesinculturalvalues,socialnormsandlinguisticstructures.Secondly,mostoftheexistingstudiesfocusontheanalysisofhumorwithinasingleculture,andthereisalackofsystematiccomparisonbetweenEnglishandChinesehumorfromacross-culturalperspective.Inaddition,theproblemscausedbyhumormisinterpretationininternationalcommunicationstillneedtheoreticalguidance.1.2SignificanceoftheResearchIntoday’sincreasinglyglobalizedworld,wherepeoplefromvariousculturesinteractonanalmostdailybasisitisimportanttounderstandtheotherpersonsculture,includingtheirsenseofhumor(Piwowarczyk23).Asanimportantformofhumanemotionalexpression,humorplaysauniqueandcrucialroleincross-culturalcommunication.Thisspecialwayofexpression,withitshumorousandsatiricalcharacteristics,notonlybringspeopleapleasantexperience,butalsocontainsprofoundculturalconnotations.However,incross-culturalcommunicationpractice,researchershavefoundthataudiencesfromdifferentethnicitiesandculturalbackgroundsoftenexhibitsignificantdifferencesintheirunderstandingofthesamehumoroustext.Duetothedecisiveinfluenceofculturaldifferencesontheunderstandingofhumor,in-depthexplorationofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenEnglishandChinesehumornotonlyhelpstoeliminateculturalbarriers,butalsoprovidestheoreticalsupportandpracticalguidanceforpromotingcross-culturalcommunication.Therefore,bycomparingthelinguisticfeatures,culturalconnotations,andcognitivepatternsofhumorinEnglishandChinese,revealingthedeepculturallogicbehindtheirsimilaritiesanddifferences,isnotonlyanimportantwaytodeepencross-culturalcommunicationtheory,butalsoprovidespracticalbasisforforeignlanguageteaching,translationpractice,andinternationalcommunication.1.3OrganizationoftheThesisThisthesisfocusesonthecross-culturalcomparisonofhumorbetweenEnglishandChinese,dividedintosixchapters,followingthelogicalframeworkof“theoreticalsorting,comparativeanalysis,andpracticalapplication”.Thespecificorganizationisasfollows:ChapterOneisIntroduction.Firstly,theresearchbackgroundisintroducedtoclarifythepracticalproblemscausedbyhumordifferencesincross-culturalcommunicationunderthebackgroundofglobalization,emphasizingthenecessityofcomparingEnglishandChinesehumor.Next,itintroducestheresearchsignificanceofboththeoreticalandpracticalaspectsofthethesis.Atthesametime,itorganizesthestructureofthethesisandoutlinethecontentarrangementandlogicalstructureofthesixchaptersintheentiretext.ChapterTwoistheliteraturereview.Abriefintroductionisgiventothedefinitionandclassificationofhumor.Inthereviewofrelevantresearchbothdomesticallyandinternationally,itisfoundthatforeigntheoriesofhumorarerelativelycompleteandmature.Threeclassictheoriesofhumor,namelysuperioritytheory,incongruitytheory,andreleasetheory,havelaidasolidfoundationforthisfield.Incontrast,thetheoryofhumorinChinaisnotascomprehensiveasintheWest.Butinrecentyears,researchhasbecomeincreasinglyextensive,andin-depthdiscussionsonhumorhavebeenconductedfrommultipleperspectivessuchasculture,linguistics,andfilm.ChapterThreefocusesonthecommonalitiesofhumorbetweenEnglishandChinese,analyzinghowtheyuserhetoricaldevicestocreatehumorouseffects,includingtheuseofpuns,satire,andexaggeration.Inaddition,theroleofphoneticambiguityandlexicalambiguityinhumorcreationwasexplored,demonstratingthecommonalityofhumortechniquesbetweenEnglishandChinese.ChapterFourturnstothedifferencesinhumorbetweenEnglishandChinese,comparingthemfromthreedimensions:content,object,andexpression.Thedifferencesincontentarereflectedinthechoiceofhumorthemesindifferentculturalbackgrounds;Thedifferencesinobjectsfocusonthedifferentsocialgroupsandreligionstargetedbyhumor;ThedifferencesinexpressionmethodsinvolvethedifferencesinlanguagestylesandformsofexpressionbetweenEnglishandChinesehumor.ChapterFiveelaboratesonstrategiestoenhancetheeffectivenessofcross-culturalhumorfromthreeaspects:understandingculturalbackgrounds,masteringlanguagefeatures,andcombiningcontextandaudience.ChapterSixisConclusion.Thischaptersummarizestheresearchresultsandshortcomings,whileexpressingprospectsforfutureresearch.Thewholearticlestartsfrompracticalproblems,throughtheoreticalfoundationandempiricalcomparison,andfinallyproposessolutionstoformacompleteclosedloopof“problem,theory,analysis,application”,balancingacademicdepthandpracticalvalue.

ChapterTwoLiteratureReviewBeforeconductingacomparativestudyofhumorinEnglishandChinese,itisnecessarytofirstunderstandthebasicconceptsofhumor,whicharethefocusofthischapter.Thisincludesthedefinition,classification,andpreviousresearchonhumorbothdomesticallyandinternationally,italsoprovidestheoreticalsupportforsubsequentanalysis.2.1ABriefSurveyofHumorHumor,asthemainresearchobjectofthispaper,itisnecessarytoclarifythebasicconceptofhumorbeforeconductingresearch.Thissectionwillbrieflyintroducethedefinitionandclassificationofhumor.2.1.1DefinitionsofHumorHumoriseverywhere,andcanbeseeneverywhereinpeople’sdailylives,suchasinmovies,ontheTVscreen,inbooksandmagazines,ontheInternet,andinconversations.Wherethereispeople,thereishumor.Butforalongtime,jokesandhumorhavebeenequatedbythepublic,especiallythosethatcontaininterestinglanguageexpressionsthataremorelikelytocausecognitiveconfusion.However,thecoredifferencesbetweenthetwowerenotclearlydefineduntilcontemporaryacademicresearch.Itisworthnotingthatevenatpresent,theacademiccommunitystilllacksauniversallyrecognizedstandardtechnicaldefinitionofhumor.AsKonradsaid,“Theissueofhumorisquiteconvoluteditself,asthereisnoonesingleprecisedefinitionofthewordandphenomenon.(26)”HumorcomesfromLatinandoriginallymeans“fluid”or“moisture”.Withthewidespreaduseofthisword,itsmeaninghasalsobeenenrichedandexpanded.Theterm“humor”wasoriginallytranslatedandintroducedtoChinabythemasterofChinesestudies,LinYutang,in1924(Wang91).Aftercenturiesofevolution,variousdictionarieshavegivenhumorousmodernmeaningsandexplanations.InLongmanModernEnglishDictionary,“Humorissomethingwhicharousesamusement,laughter,etc.,orthecapacityforwhichrecognizing,reactingtoorexpressingsomethingisamusing,funny,etc.(523)”.InOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglishDictionary,humoristhequalityofbeingamusingorcomic(726).ButinChina,thereisanauthoritativedictionarycalledXiandaiHanyuCidianthatdescribeshumorasfollows:humorisdefinedasbeingfunnyorlaughablebutmeaningful(1520).Atthesametime,somescholarshavetheirownuniqueperspectivesonhumor,suchas,“Humorreferstothetendencytoexperienceorexpresswhatisamusingandfunny,whichisalwaysaccompaniedwithemotionalresponseandvocal-behavioralexpressions,suchaslaughterandsmiling.(ChenandMartin216)”Fromtheaboveauthoritativedictionaries,theresearcherhaslearnedsomedefinitionsofhumor,andalthoughtheresearchercouldnotarriveatageneralconsensusconclusion,hewasstillabletosummarizesomecommoncharacteristicsofhumor.Forexample,humorissomethingthatisfunnyorcauseslaughter,andhumoristheabilitytoperceive,expressandenjoyfunnythings.Thisthesiswillfocusonthesecharacteristicsofhumor.2.1.2ClassificationsofHumorHumorcomesfromlifeandhasnostrictboundaries.Peopletendtostudyhumoraccordingtotheirowninterests,thustherearevariouscriteriaforclassifyinghumorandhumorcanbeclassifiedintodifferenttypesbasedonitscharacteristics.Accordingtotherelationshipbetweenhumorandlinguistics,humorcanbedividedintoverbalhumorandnon-verbalhumor.Obviously,verbalhumoristoexpressasenseofhumorthroughlanguage,anditscorefeatureistouserhetoricaldevicessuchaspuns,irony,andhyperboleoflanguageelementstocreatehumorouseffects.Non-verbalhumorreferstotheformofhumordeliveredthroughnon-verbalchannels,suchasbodymovements,facialexpressions,visualimages,etc.,andiscommonlyfoundinpantomimes,comics.Infact,thereisverylittlepurenon-verbalhumor.Themostcommonisverbalhumor,speechandhumoraretightlyinterdependent,andalmostallhumorcanbeexpressedinwords.AccordingtoChenandMartin,therearetwonegativestylesofhumor.Oneisoffensivehumor,whichtendstousehumortocriticizeormanipulateothers,suchassarcasm,teasing,ridicule,ordemeaninghumor.Theotherisself-defeatinghumor,whichtendstobeusedtocurryfavourwithothers,tryingtodoorsayfunnythingstopleaseothersattheirexpense,andexcessivelyself-defeatinghumor(216).Accordingtothemanifestationsofhumor,thedomesticscholarGongWeicaidivideshumorintofivetypes:morbidhumor,grayhumor,yellowhumor,blackhumorandrose-coloredhumor(99-108).Amongthem,morbidhumorisnotshownthroughlaughter,butrevealsthesufferinganduglinessinlifebyhumorousmeans.Greyhumorisoftenproducedwhensocietyisinturmoilorwhenindividualsaredepressed,anditisusedtoexpressinnerbitternessanddepression.Yellowhumorinvolvessexualcontentandshouldberejected.Blackhumorexpressesasarcasticandindifferentviewoftheabsurdity,uglinessandcrueltyoflife’snegativephenomena.Rose-colouredhumorbringsasmileratherthanastrongreactionoflaughter.Tosumup,asacomplexsocialandculturalphenomenon,thediversityofclassificationcriteriaforhumorreflectstherichnessandcomplexityofthisfield.Differentscholars,fromtheirownresearchperspectives,haveputforwarddistinctivewaysofclassifyinghumor,withsomefocusingonitsformsofexpressionandothersonitsfunctionsandroles.Theseclassificationcriteriacomplementandinspireeachother,providinguswithamulti-perspectivevisionforacomprehensiveandin-depthunderstandingoftheessenceandconnotationofhumor.Accordingtotheaboveresearchresults,thecategoryofhumorstudiedinthisthesisbelongstoverbalhumor2.2RelatedResearchesonHumorAbroadandAtHomeTherearemanytheoriesabouthumor,involvingsociology,philosophy,aesthetics,linguisticsandsoon.Westernscholarshavedonealotofresearchonhumor,andthenChinesescholarshavemadecontributionsinthefieldofhumor.Thissectionwillbrieflyintroducethehumortheoryrelatedtothisthesisfromdomesticandforeignstudies.2.2.1RelatedResearchesAbroadTheresearchonWesternhumortheoryisrelativelymature,andtherelatedtheoreticalsystemisalsomoreabundant,whichhasattractedwidespreadattentionanddiscussionintheacademiccommunity.Amongthetraditionaltheoriesofhumor,therearethreeclassictheoriesofhumor:thesuperioritytheory,theincongruitytheoryandtherelieftheory.Theyareusuallycalledthethreebasictraditionalhumortheories.2.2.1.1SuperiorityTheoryInPalmer’sresearch,itispointedoutthatthesenseofsuperioritytheoryanalyzeshumorfromtheperspectiveofsocialbehavior,andbelievesthatitsessencestemsfromthesuddenrecognitionofitsownsuperiority.Specifically,whenpeopleobservethatothersshowfunnyshortcomings,makeinnocuousmistakesorencounterminorsetbacks,humormakespeoplehaveacertainsenseofsuperiority.ThesuperioritytheorycanbetracedbacktoPlatoandAristotle,andfurtherdevelopedbyThomasHobbes(94).Platoproposesthattheessenceofhumorisanexpressionofsuperiorityofthestrongtotheweak,whichimpliesacertaindegreeofpsychologicalsuperiorityorpotentialmalice.XuLinxinpointsoutinhisresearchthatAristotlebelievesthathumorisessentiallytheimitationofpeoplewhoarebelowthestandardofordinarypeople,andalsotheimitationofridiculouspeople(23).BergermentionsthatThomasHobbesbelievesthatthestrongemotionoflaughterismerelyasuddenglory,arisingfromthesuddenthoughtofourownexcellencethroughcomparisonwiththeweaknessesofothersorwithourownpastweaknesses(2).Thesuperioritytheoryholdsthatbecauseridiculingotherscanstrengthenthesenseofsuperiority,thedominantgroupsinsocietytendtomakefunofthevulnerablegroupsthroughoffensivejokes.Accordingtothistheory,itcanbetterexplainwhythedisabled,womenorethnicminoritiesareeasytobecomethevictimsofjokes.2.2.1.2IncongruityTheoryAmongthethreeclassictheories,theincongruitytheorydominatesduetoitsbroadandprofoundinfluence,mainlyexplaininghowhumorarisesfromacognitiveperspective.Inthistheory,therearesomedifferencesbetweentheexpectedexpressionofthehumoristandtheactualunderstandingofthereceiver.TherepresentativefigureofthistheoryisSchopenhauer.XuLixinproposedthatinSchopenhauer’sview,laughterisasuddenrecognitionoftheinconsistencybetweenanideaandobjectivefactsineverysituation,andlaughteritselfisonlyamanifestationofthisinconsistency(25).Thistheoryexplainsthathumorisinconsistentanddiscordant,andallhumorstemsfromthedifferencebetweenaperson’sexpectationsandwhattheytrulyreceive.2.2.1.3ReliefTheoryRelieftheorycombinesthecharacteristicsofpsychologyandphysiology,linkinghumorwiththesetraits.Itbelievesthathumorisawaytoreleasetensionandsuppressemotions.Thisapproachhelpsalleviatethetensioncausedbysocialpressure.Freudisthemostinfluentialrepresentative.Heassertsthathumoressentiallyoriginatesfromthesuppressedsexualdesiresandaggressiveimpulsesinthehumanunconscious,whicharereleasedthroughhumorousexpressionsandbecomethemainsourceofhappiness(127).Inshort,relieftheorysuggeststhathumorarisesfromthereleaseofinnersuppressionandpsychologicalenergy.Itcanhelppeoplefreethemselvesfromoppressionandrelievepsychologicaltension.Meanwhile,thismethodexplainswhyobsceneandaggressivejokesareprevalentinsomeculturesTheabovecontentexploresthethreemainbranchesofWesternhumortheory:SuperiorityTheory,IncongruityTheory,andReliefTheory.Thesetheoriescanbeexplainedasthemechanismofhumorproduction.Superioritytheoryholdsthatasenseofhumororiginatesfromanindividual’ssenseofsuperiorityoverothers,andisgainedbymockingtheirmisfortunesorshortcomings.Incongruitytheoryemphasizesthathumorariseswhentwousuallydifferentideas,concepts,orsituationsarecombinedinanunexpectedorsurprisingway.Relieftheoryfocusesonanalyzingtheessenceofhumorfromaphysiologicalperspective,believingthathumorisawaytoreleasetensionandsuppresspsychology.Thesetheoriesgreatlyexpandtheperspectiveofhumor.Althoughthesetheoriesprovideprofoundinsightsintohumor,theydonotfullyexplainwhycertainhumorouscontentcanmakepeoplelaughinonelanguageandculture,butcannotproducethesameeffectinanotherlanguageandculture,whichisrelatedtoculturaldifferences.Therefore,itisworthwhiletoconductacomparativestudyofEnglishandChinesehumorfromtheperspectiveofcross-culturalcommunication.2.2.2RelatedResearchesAtHomeWesternhumortheoriesareverysystematicandmature.ComparedwithWesternhumortheoryandresearch,Chinesehumorresearchisrelativelyweakintermsoftheoreticalconstructionandlimitedinnumberofachievements,butChinesescholarshavecontinuedtoworkdeeplyinthisfieldandcontinuetoexploreuniquewaysofhumorexpression.Somefamousscholars,suchasLinYutangandLaoShe,havemadesignificantcontributionstothestudyofhumor.LinYutang,thefamoushumorist,firstintroducedhumortoChinain1921andalsotranslatedhumorinto“youmo”.Hebelievesthathumorisagentlemockeryorwellkindjoke.MengZhaoquanpointsoutinhisresearchthatanothergreathumorist,LaoShe,believesthathumorisawayoflife.Peoplewhoholdthisposturecanfindinterestingthingsinalmosteverything.Heorsheacknowledgestheweaknessesofhumannatureandtheimperfectionsofsociety,andiswillingtorevealtheseimperfectionstoothersinvariousways.Forhimorher,everyoneisextremelycharming,andtheirlaughteroftencontainsenthusiasmandempathy,ratherthanridiculeandmockery(3).Afterwards,manyscholarsinChinabegintopayattentiontohumorresearchfromdifferentperspectives.ZhangFencomparesEnglishandChineseverbalhumorfromculturalandlinguisticperspectives,elaboratingonthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseverbalhumor,aswellastherootcausesofthesedifferences(116-117).However,FengXiaojiaostudysthetranslationofhumorbetweenEnglishandChinesefromtheperspectiveofculturaldifferences,comparestheculturaldifferencesbetweentheEastandtheWest,andhighlightstheuntranslatabilityofhumoranditstransitionfromuntranslatabilitytotranslatability(119).Inaddition,ShanMinhasstudiedhumorouslanguagerhetoricanditstranslationstrategiesinEnglishandChinesetranslationfromtheperspectiveoffilmandtelevisionsubtitles.Takingsomeclassicfilmandtelevisionworksasexamples,sheanalysesindepthhowthecommonlyusedrhetoricaldevicesinfilmandtelevisiondramas(suchaspuns,metaphors,similes,allusionsandirony)arehandledintranslation(55-56).Meanwhile,FanJialiandMoWenhaoalsoexploredtherhetoricaldevicesofhumorouslanguageinforeignfilmandtelevisionworksandtheirprocessingmethodsinEnglishChinesefilmandtelevisionsubtitletranslation.Thearticleanalyzesseveralcommonlyusedrhetoricaldevicesanddiscusseshowtheserhetoricaldevicesexpresshumorouseffectsinfilmandtelevisiondialogues(189-191).Nevertheless,QianJinganalyzedphonological,lexical,syntacticandsemanticfeaturesfromalinguisticpointofview,anddiscussedhowthesefeaturesaffectedtheproductionandunderstandingofhumor(29-56).Theyhaveallexpandednewresearchhorizonsthroughtheirstudies.Overall,domesticscholarsstartedresearchonhumorrelativelylate,socomparedtomaturehumortheorysystemsabroad,domestictheoryremainsincomplete.However,sinceLinYutangfirstintroducedhumortoChinain1921,scholarshavegaineddeeperunderstandingandgraduallyconductedstudiesfrommultipleperspectives.ManyChinesescholarshaveanalyzeddifferencesbetweenEnglishandChinesehumoracrossculture,linguistics,andfilm.Thesestudiesenrichedhumortheorysignificantly.Yetexistingresearchstillhasshortcomings.Firstly,thereisnosystematicexplanationyetforwhypeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundsfinditdifficulttoappreciateeachother’shumor;Secondly,thedetailedcomparativeanalysisofthedifferencesinhumorbetweenEnglishandChineseisnotsufficient;Finally,thereiscurrentlynoeffectivesolutionproposedbyexistingresearchonhowtoavoidhumorcomprehensionbarrierscausedbyculturaldifferences.Thisstudyaimstoexploretheseissuesindepthandhopesthatitsresultscanprovidepracticalguidanceforpromotingcross-culturalcommunication,aswellasvaluablereferencesinthefieldofforeignlanguageteaching.

ChapterThreeSimilaritiesBetweenEnglishandChineseHumorThischaptermainlyexploresthecommonalitiesinhumorousexpressionbetweenEnglishandChinese,twocompletelydifferentlanguages.AnditwillfocusonthecommonsimilartechniquesusedinexpressinghumorinEnglishandChinese,includingcreatinghumorthroughrhetoric,phoneticambiguity,andsemanticambiguity..3.1UsingRhetoricalDevicestoCreateHumorHumorinEnglishandChineseoriginatesfromdifferentculturalbackgrounds,butshowsmanysimilaritiesinthewayofexpression.WhetherinEnglishorChinese,humoroftenreliesonrhetoricaltechniquessuchaspun,ironyandexaggeration,whicharecleverlydesignedtomakethelistenerorreadersmile.Thiscommonalitynotonlyreflectstheuniversalityofhumanthinking,butalsoreflectsthathumor,asacommunicationtool,isabletoconveysimilarwisdomandfunindifferentlanguages.Next,wewillexplorethesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChinesehumorintermsoftheuseoflanguageskills.3.1.1UseofPunPunreferstotheuseofmultipledifferentinterpretationsofaword(Tuergan84).Thisrhetoricaldeviceoftenassignsdoublemeaningstofixedwordsorphrases,resultinginhumor,satire,orprofoundeffects.Itscoreliesinthemultipleinterpretationsoflanguage,allowinglistenersorreaderstofeeltheclevernessandwisdomoflanguageinthemomentof“enlightenment”.Punsusuallyuseawordorphrasetoimplytwocompletelydifferentmeanings,orusehomophonestoevokeassociations,allowingthewordtorefertotwodifferentthingsatthesametime.Literallyspeaking,thespeakerseemstobeexpressingsurfacelevelcontent,butinreality,itimpliesanotherintention.Asanextremelyeffectiverhetoricaldevice,punsplayanimportantroleinhumorousexpressionandcaneasilyachievehumorouseffects.“Boyfriend:What’syourfavouritemusicband?Girlfriend:IloveU2.Boyfriend:Iloveyoutoo,butWhat’syourfavouritemusicband?(ZhangWen25)”Apparently,inthisexample,“U2”isthenameofafamousIrishrockband.Whenthegirlanswers“IloveU2”,theboymayassociateitwith“Iloveyoutoo”,butinreality,thegirlisjustexpressingherlovefortheU2band.SoitallleadstoahumorousresultDuetoChina’slonghistoryandculture,exampleslikethesecanbefoundeverywhereinourdailylives.“你最近是不是又胖了？为什么你在我心里的分量越来越重了呢？(Sang75)”Thepunhumorinthissentenceisreflectedintheword“Zhong”.“Zhong”usuallyreferstotheweightofanobject,andwhenusedtodescribeaperson,itcanrefertoanincreaseinbodyweight.Here,itreferstosomeone’simportanceorinfluenceinthemindsofothers,usuallymeaningthatthispersonisbecomingincreasinglyimportantandvaluedbythespeaker.Thehumorofthissentenceliesinthefactthatitappearstobeaskingiftheotherpersonhasgainedweight,butinrealityitisexpressingtheincreasingimportanceoftheotherpersoninone’sown