关联理论视角下美国情景喜剧《破产姐妹》中的言语幽默研究

关联理论视角下美国情景喜剧《破产姐妹》中的言语幽默研究摘要：关联理论是一种认知语用学理论。以关联性概念与关联原则为基础分析言语交际中的话语理论。言语幽默是众多幽默种类的一种，其中也蕴含着语言的智慧。《破产姐妹》这一流行的情景喜剧提供了大量生动具体的言语幽默的例子。关联理论对于幽默有着强有力的解释力。运用关联理论可以对言语幽默有一个全新的解读，从而探索人们对于幽默的认知过程，更好的解读人们对于幽默的心理推测机制。关键字：关联理论；《破产姐妹》；言语幽默AStudyofVerbalHumorintheAmericanSitcomBrokeGirlsfromthePerspectiveofRelevanceTheoryAbstract:Relevancetheoryisacognitivepragmatictheory.Inrelevancetheory,relevanceisregardedasacharacteristicofdiscourse,thought,behavior,situationandsoon.Verbalhumorisoneofthemanykindsofhumor,whichalsocontainsthewisdomoflanguage.Thepopularsitcom2BrokeGirlsprovidesalargenumberofvividandconcreteexamplesofverbalhumor.Relevancetheoryhasastrongexplanatorypowerforhumor.Theuseofrelevancetheorycanhaveanewinterpretationofverbalhumor,soastoexplorepeople’scognitiveprocessofhumorandbetterunderstandpeople’spsychologicalspeculationmechanismofhumor.KeyWords:Relevancetheory;2BrokeGirls;VerbalhumorContentsTOC\o"1-3"\h\uIntroduction 页共15页IntroductionRelevancetheoryisacognitivepragmatictheory.ProposedbySperberandWilsoninRelevance:CommunicationandCognition.Thispaperanalyzesthediscoursetheoryinverbalcommunicationonthebasisoftheconceptofrelevanceandtheprincipleofrelevance.Relevanceprinciplesinclude:cognitiveprinciples,thatis,humancognitiontendstobeconsistentwiththemaximumdegreeofrelevance;communicativeprinciples,thatis,everydiscourse(orotheractsofinferentialcommunication)shouldbeassumedtohavethebestrelevanceofthediscourseorbehavioritself.Inrelevancetheory,relevanceisregardedasacharacteristicofdiscourse,thought,behavior,situationandsoon.2BrokeGirls,whichpremieredonCBSTVinSeptember2011,describedthepoorlivesoftworoommatesMaxandCarolineandtheireffortstoopenacupcakeshop.Theshowwonthe38thAmericanpeople’sChoiceAward,themostpopularnewTVcomedyaward.ThisplayisanAmericanhumoroussitcom,inwhichthecharactersarecharacterizedbysharpandfunnydialogueandendlessvulgarjokes,whicharedeeplylovedbytheChineseaudience.Verbalhumorisoneofthemanykindsofhumor,whichalsocontainsthewisdomoflanguage.Thepopularsitcom2BrokeGirlsprovidesalargenumberofvividandconcreteexamplesofverbalhumor.Relevancetheoryhasastrongexplanatorypowerforhumor.Theuseofrelevancetheorycanhaveanewinterpretationofverbalhumor,soastoexplorepeople’scognitiveprocessofhumorandbetterunderstandpeople’spsychologicalspeculationmechanismofhumor.Therearefewstudiesonthisaspectathomeandabroad,soitisnecessarytofillthisresearchgap.Inrecentyears,muchattentionhasbeenpaidtotheresearchonverbalhumorin2BrokeGirlsinChina.Thesestudiesmainlyanalyzethemechanismofhumorfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics,suchascooperativeprinciple,speechactstheoryandsoon.Relevancetheoryisalittle.Inviewofthis,thispaperanalyzestherelationshipbetweenverbalhumorandthepersonalitycharacteristicsofthemaincharactersfromtheperspectiveofrelevancetheory,aswellastherelationshipbetweenverbalhumorandthedevelopmentofstoryline,inordertohaveamorein-depthunderstandingoftheplotandAmericancultureontheotherhand.ChapterILiteratureReview1.1ABriefIntroductionto2BrokeGirls2BrokeGirls,broadcastintheUnitedStatesonSeptember19,2011,wasbroadcastonCBS(CBS).Thisisaveryexpressivesitcom.Theshowwasco-createdbyMikeKingandWhitneyCummingandproducedbyWarnerBros.TV.TheshowwasfilmedinWilliamsburg,Brooklyn,NewYorkCity.Themaincontentofthe2BrokeGirlssitcomisthestoryoftwocompletelydifferentgirlsintwoworlds.ThemiddleMax(playedbyKateDarling)hasadifficultfamilyandnoaffluentfamilyconditions.ButtheotherprotagonistiscompletelydifferentfromMax,becauseCaroline(playedbyBethBeale)hasawealthyfamily.ItcanbesaidthatCarolinehasnothingtoworryabout.However,later,Caroline’sfamilyfortunefell,insuchasituation,CarolinehadtogotothehotelwhereMaxworkstomakemoney,inordertomakealiving.Inaddition,itisbecauseofthisthatitisonlybecauseofthisthattwogirlswithcompletelydifferentfamilyconditionsarelinkedtogether,andthatiswhathappensafterthat.Therefore,wecansaythatCaroline’sfamilyfortunefell,butalsoforthetwogirlsafterthemeeting,acquaintanceandacquaintancelaidtheforeshadowing.Themiddletwogirlsaretalkingaboutraising$250000tostartabusinesstogether.Max(playedbyKateDarling)isproficientintheworld,butinordertomakemoney,Max(KateDarling(playedbyKateDarling)choosestodotwojobsaday.OneofthejobsisasawaitressattheoldWilliamsburgrestaurant,workingatnight.Caroline(playedbyBethBeale)isamorefashionablegirl,andshehasastrongabilitytoadapt.Herfatheristhebossofthetrustfund,butherfather’sestategoesbankrupt,causingCaroline(BethBeale)toloseeverything.Inthiscase,Caroline(BethBealehastochangehertemperinordertomakemoneytosurvive,aggrievedhimselftoworkattheWilliamsburgHotel.SomethinginterestinghappenedbetweenCarolineandMaxandwasdeterminedtostartabusinessandmakemoneytogether.CarolineandMaxaremainlyplayedby:Oleg(JonathanKite,afamousUkrainianchefwhooftenflirtswiththem,butitalsocaterstotheAmericanwayoflifeandcommunication.Thiskindofcharactermakeshimnotafraidofanydifficultiesinlife,evenifhelivesatthebottomofsociety,healwaysputssexfirst.Earl(GarrettMorris),acashieraged75.Althoughheisolder,hestillhasachildlikeinnocence;Mr.LiHan(playedbyMatthewMoy),whoistheownerofarestaurant,hasaveryinterestingfeature,thatis,hehopesthathishotelwillbepraisedbyeverycustomer.Han,theowneroftherestaurant,isshort.Butheightisalsohischaracteristic.Withsuchasmallfigure,itwasalwaysfooled,andpeoplelaughedandbecameveryimpressedbytheotaku.AlthoughHanisaboss,heisveryafraidofMax’svenomoustongue.OftenridiculedbyMaxaschildrenwhodon’tgrowup.Heismorecautiousandhastothinkcarefullyaboutmoney.Butusually,theresultis“NO.”Healwaysshunnedthecolorjokesintherestaurant.ItalsoreflectsthenaturalcharacterofAsians.Inthecontextofthesecharacterscontinuetointerweave,graduallyformedacomicTVseries.Bychance,CarolinefoundthatMaxwasabletobakeahandfulofexquisitecupcakes,whichwasaspecialskillintheeyesofCaroline,whichwasofgreatvalueandsignificance.Themomentsheknew,anideacametohermindtomakemoneythroughMax’seggcakecraftsmanshipandgetridoftheircurrentstateofdistress.Butonlyifthetwomustraiseenoughmoneytorealizetheirowncakedreams.Butthereisonlyonestepbetweenrealityanddream,twopeoplecanonlyhonestlysavemoneyinreality.However,thedreamwillcometruethroughpeople’sefforts,nottomentionthatthereisnothingdifficultintheworld,onlyforthosewhohavethehearttodoso.Thedreamofthetwogirlswillbemovedtoheaven,coupledwiththeirunremittingefforts,onedaywillrealizetheirdreaminthisbigcity.1.2PreviousStudies1.2.1ForeignResearchStatusDanSperberandDeirdreWilsonpublishedRelevance:CommunicationandCognition.In1995,thebookwaspublishedinthesecondedition,markingthebirthofrelevancetheory.Forthisreason,westernlinguistshavebegunthestudyofrelevancetheory.UndertheleadershipofRobynCarston,UniversityCollegeLondonintheUnitedKingdomhassetuprelevanceTheoryOnlineNewsletterontheInternet,whichprovidesanacademicexchangeplatformforscholarsfromallovertheworld.Inaddition,ElsevierB.V.(2016)publishedExtradiegeticandCharacterLaughterasMarkersofHumorousIntentionsintheSitcom2BrokeGirls.1.2.2DomesticResearchStatusAftertheintroductionofrelevancetheoryintoChina,ithasarousedthewidespreadconcernandinterestofdomesticscholars.ShenJiaxuan(1988)wasthefirsttoevaluatethetheoryinthearticleTheCorrelationbetweenCommunicationandCognition.Subsequently,HeZiran(1997),HeZhaoxiong(2000)bothliststhespecialchaptertointroduceanddiscusstherelevancetheory.XiongXueliang(1991)publishedCognitivePragmatics.HeZiranandRanYongping(2001)publishedacollectionofpapersonrelevancetheory.Xie

Biyuan(2014)

publishedAnAnalysisoftheHumorousElementsfromthePerspectiveofStylistics.Besides,RenHongxia(2015)publishedPragmaticAnalysisofVerbalHumoramong2BrokeGirls.1.3TheoreticalandPracticalSignificanceoftheStudy1.3.1TheoreticalSignificanceRelevancetheoryexpoundsandmodifiesGrice’sconversationaltheoryfromtheperspectiveofcognition,andputsforwardthatlanguagecommunicationisacognitiveprocessandanewpragmaticconceptthatmustbecarriedoutbyinferentialthinking,andestablishesanexplanatoryrelevanceprinciple.Theyhopetorelyonthisprincipletoexplainvariouspragmaticphenomenainnaturaldiscourseunderstanding.Thisisundoubtedlyabeneficialattempttoovercomethegeneralityandarbitrarinessofthepreviouspragmatictheoryandmakeitgraduallybecomesarigorousandsystematiclanguagescience.Manyscholarshavepaidmuchattentiontohumor.Thisstudyclassifiesthehumordataaccordingtothetheoreticalframework,whichpavesthewayforthefuturestudytosomeextent.Itcanprovidesomeresearchmethodstolanguagelearners,enrichthehumorstudyinthepragmaticfieldandhelpaudiencesunderstandtheverbalhumorinFriendsbetter.1.3.2PracticalSignificanceFirstly,thisresearchcanhelpaudiencesbetterunderstandandappreciatesitcoms,soastomaketheirlifemorecolorfulandmeaningful.Secondly,thisresearchcanalsobenefitstudentsmajoringinEnglish.ThisresearchcanalsobenefitstudentsmajoringinEnglish,fromwhichstudentsmajoringinEnglishcangetsomeenlightenmenttoconductfurtherrelevantstudybasedonthisresearch.Finally,Thisstudyhopestoprovidesomepotentialimplicationsforforeignlanguageteaching.ChapterIITheoreticalFramework2.1TheDefinitionofRelevanceRelevancetheorywasputforwardbyDanSperberandDeirdreWilsonintheirworksRelevanceCommunicationandCognitionin1986and1995.Assoonasthebookwaspublished,itarousedastrongresponsefromthewesternlinguistic,cognitiveandphilosophicalcircles.Thisstrongresponsepromotedthedeepeningofthetheoreticalstudy,acceleratedthetheoryandbroadenedtheapplicationofthetheory.Scholarshavefoundthatrelevancetheorycanbeusedtoexplainmanyphenomenaandproblemsinthefieldsofgrammar,stylistics,rhetoric,pragmaticsandsoon.Relevancetheory(/p-1501972030.html)2019-10-302.2Relevanceprinciple“Thefirstprinciple(cognitiveprinciple):people’scognitiontendstobeconsistentwiththemaximumrelevance.Thesecondprinciple(communicativeprinciple):communicativebehaviorshouldbeassumedtohavethebestrelevanceinitself.”Cognition,asapsychologicalterm,involvestheabilityandprocessofselecting,receiving,processing,understandingandstoringinformation,whilerelevanceinvolvesalabor-savingproblem.Asfaraslanguagecommunicationisconcerned,dealingwiththemostrelevantinformationisanautomatictendency.Pragmatistsarealwaysableornaturallytostrikethebestbalancebetweentheinformationobtainedandtheeffortsspenthere,soastoobtainthebestinformationeffect.Communicativeprinciplesarebasedoncognitiveprinciples,whichcanpredictpeople’scognitivebehavior,whichissufficienttoguidecommunication.Relevancetheoryorganicallycombinescommunicationwithcognition,makesabeneficialattemptonpragmaticcommunicationfromacognitiveperspective,andprovidesanewwayofthinkingforthestudyofpragmatics.2.3ContextualViewofrelevanceTheoryThecontextualviewofrelevancetheoryregardscontextasapsychologicalconstruct,thatis,acollectionofreflectivefactsorassumptionsthatexistinthehearer’sbrain.Contextualviewcontainsallkindsofinformation,whichismainlycomposedofthreekindsofinformation:lexicalinformation,encyclopedicinformationandlogicalinformation.Differentpeoplehavedifferentcontextualviews.Peoplemainlyrelyon“mutualreflection”and“mutualunderstanding”(thatis,bothsidesofthecommunicationcanmakecommoncognitionandinferenceaboutthefactsorassumptionsinthecontextualview)toachievethepurposeofmutualcommunicationandunderstanding.Thecontextualviewofrelevancetheoryisadynamiccontext,whichregardsrelevanceasaconstantandcontextasavariable.contextualviewistheresultofcontinuousselectionintheprocessofdiscoursecomprehensionandacontinuouscircularprocessofreconstructionofthehearer.SperberandWilsonputsforwardamoredynamicviewofcontext,whichisdifferentfromthetraditionalmeaning,andregardscontextasapsychologicalconstructorformedanddevelopedinordertocorrectlyunderstanddiscourseintheprocessofinteraction,isasubsetofthehearer’sassumptionsabouttheworld,thatistosay,contextisaseriesofassumptionsthatexistinpeople’sbrains,andthecontextualfactorsneededtounderstandeachdiscoursearedifferent.Thevarioushypothesesformedintheprocessofcommunicationarecalledcontextualviewassumptions.Inlanguagecommunication,whatplaysamajorroleindiscourseunderstandingisaseriesofassumptionsthatconstitutethehearer'scontextualview,ratherthanspecificsituationalfactors.Therefore,inthissense,contextisnotlimitedtonon-linguisticcontextsuchasobjectiveenvironment,discourseitselfandotherlinguisticcontext.Moreover,contextisnotafixedfactorthatbothsidesknowinadvanceinverbalcommunication.Contexthasdynamiccharacteristics,thatistosay,itisnotpredeterminedbythehearerbeforediscoursecomprehension,buttheresultofcontinuousselectionintheprocessofdiscoursecomprehension.Discoursecomprehensioninvolvesthehearer'scontinuousselection,adjustmentandadaptationofcontextualassumptions.2.4Relevanceconcept2.4.1Ostensive-inferentialModelRelevancetheoryisthebasisofcognitivelinguistics,whichisusedtodescribethecognitiveprocessofdiscourseinordertoidentifytheinternalmechanismexistinginthehumanbrainandtoexplainhumancommunicativebehavior.Thistheoryputsforwardtheostensiveinferentialmodelreplacesthetraditionalcodemodelostentatiousinferentialcommunicationmodelwhichincludestwoaspectsofcommunication.Behavioralreasoningreferstothecommunicativebehaviorofthehearerinordertoidentifythespeaker'sinformationintention.Accordingtorelevancetheory,communicationproducescertainstimulitoinformthehearerofcertainthings,andthestimuluscanbeaverbalformoranon-verbalform.Itbringscontextualeffectstothehearerbasedonthissituation,thehearerwillreasonandstrivetoachievecognitiveeffects.Inthewordsofrelevancetheory,thecommunicatorwillthinkthatthestimulusisrelevanttothehearerandlisten.Thespeakerwillalsothinkthatthisstimulusisrelevanttohimself,thatistosay,everyexplicitcommunicationmustimplyrelevance.(WangJianguo2009.3.8)Relevanceisarelativeconceptdeterminedbytheeffortsmadeintheprocessofreasoningandthecontextualeffectobtained."thesmallertheformer,thegreaterthelatter,thestrongertherelevance.Ostensiverelatedtothespeaker,inferentialismainlyrelatedtothehearer.Itcanbeseenthatthecommunicativedefinitionofrelevancetheorytakesintoaccountboththespeakerandthehearer,whichnotonlyabsorbstheadvantagesofthedefinitionofcodetheory,butalsoabsorbstheadvantagesofthedefinitionofdeductiontheory.Itisamorecompleteandcomprehensivedefinitionofcommunication.2.4.2MaximalRelevanceandOptimalRelevanceThedistinctionbetweenmaximalrelevanceandoptimalrelevanceisoneofthemaincontentsofrelevancetheory.Themaximalrelevanceistomakeaslittleeffortaspossibletoobtainthemaximalcontextualeffect,whilethebestrelevanceistomakeeffectiveeffortstoobtainenoughcontextualeffect.Inotherwords,themaximalrelevancemeansthatunderthesameconditions,thegreaterthecognitiveeffect,thegreatertherelevance;thesmallertheprocessingeffort,thegreatertherelevance.Theoptimalrelevancedependsontwoprerequisites:havingsufficientrelevance,whichisworthprocessingbythehearer,andconsistentwiththespeaker'sabilityandpreference,whichcanproducesufficientcognitiveeffect.Peopletendtoignorethedifferencebetweenmaximalrelevanceandoptimalrelevanceandthinkthattheyonlyadvocatethesingle-principleofmaximalrelevance.Intheacquisitionofpracticalcommunication,forthesakeofeconomicpsychology,humanbeingsdonotnecessarilyexpectthemaximalrelevanceandareoftensatisfiedwiththeoptimalrelevance.ChapterⅢARelevance-TheoreticalAnalysisofVerbalHumorin2BrokeGirls3.1VerbalHumorinCharacterBuilding3.1.1Max’sLanguageMaxisawaitressfromthelowerclasses.Sheissharpandconfident，butnotconfidentfortheirowncupcakebusinessanddoesn’thaveaplanforthefuture.Maxneverknewwhoherfatherwas,andhermotherdrankalldaylongandneglectedher.Shewasnotwelleducatedandfailedtomakeanyseriousfriends.She’shangingoutwithherfriends,butshedoesn’tbelieveinfriendship.Shemixedinthebottomofsociety,darenotdream,tocomplainaboutothersforhappiness.Sheissharpandconfident,butnotconfidentfortheirowncupcakebusinessanddoesn’thaveaplanforthefuture.She’skind.Sheneverenviesthehappinessofothers.Maxissuchacontradiction.Onthefaceofit,sheiscarelessandcynical.Deepdown,shefeltsoinferiorthatshedidn’tdeserveanythinggood,includingfriendshipandlove.Sheburiedtheonlybeautifulfragmentsinherheart,fearingthatconstantmemorieswouldincreaseherdisappointmentwithreality.Thefollowingexamplesarechosenfrom2BrokeGirlstoverifythatMax’slanguagemakesadifferenceinhercharacterbuilding.CarolineandMaxsneakbacktotheiroldmansion,andMaxissurprisedbyCaroline'spre-bankruptcylife.Caroline:Max,It’sjustmycloset.Max:Yourclotheshaveahouse!Look,look!Youarerich!Like,Iknowyou’vesaidyouwererich,butyouarerich.Caroline:Youareembarrassingme.Max:Areyoucrazy?Thisisnothingcanbeembarrassedabout.What’sthisdo?Oh,mygod.Youhaveashoerotisserie.Caroline:Idesignedit.Icallitmy“ferrisheels”.Max:I’djudgeyouifthatwasn’texactlywhatI’dcallitifIhadone.(Season01,episode04,2BrokeGirls)3.1.2Caroline’sLanguageCarolinemadeherahighlymotivatedgirl.Carolineusedtohaveawealthyfamilyuntilherfatherwasarrested.Sheisgoodatfinancialplanningandsellingtheircupcakes.Carolinecouldnotadapttothatkindofpoorlifeatfirst,butsoonthetwogirlswhoarereallydifferentfromeachotherworkedandlivedtogetherandbecamebestfriends.CarolineisactuallystrongerthanMax.Itisnormaltofallfromthousandsoffavoritestoformerfriends,frombeingsurroundedbyluxurygoodstoshoutinghappilyatthesightofdiscountcoupons.Butsheclenchedherteethandheldon.AndCarolinewassuperfinanciallyintelligent,andwhenshefoundoutthatMaxhadagiftformakingcupcakes,shecameupwiththeideaofopeningashoptogether,anditwashermotivationthatmadeMax’sday-to-daypunkaplanfromthebeginning.ShewastheonewhomadeMaxrealizethedespicablenatureofhisex-boyfriend.Carolineislikealittleflowergrowinginthestrongwind,evenifitisalwayshitbyallkindsofblowsfromtimetotime,itstillgrowsfirmlyinthedirectionofitsdream.Thefollowingexamplesarechosenfrom2BrokeGirlstoverifythatCaroline’slanguagemakesadifferenceinhercharacterbuilding.Caroline:Yeah,now,offertheemergencytriptothatsalon.Whenyougotwithme.Ilookedlikeabirdonchemo.I’msorryIhadtousethelastofoursavingsformyhaircut.Max:No,you’renot.Caroline:Iamnot,Ilovethis.3.2VerbalHumor’sInfluenceontheDevelopmentofPlot3.2.1InformationGapMaxistalkingtoherboss,Han,attherestaurant.Han:IamnolongerHanLee.IhavenewAmericannametogotowithchangingneighborhood.Max:Togowiththechangingneighborhood.Youneedtorememberthisforyourimmigrationexam.Han:Correct.Togowiththechangingneighborhood.Max:Bryce?YournameisBryceLee?HanhasjustarrivedintheUnitedStates.HisEnglishisnotstandardenoughandheoftenmakesgrammaticalmistakes.AccordingtotherulesofEnglishgrammar,articlesshouldbeaddedbeforemodifyingtheadjectivesofnouns.ButHanisobviouslynotclear.Thereisazeroarticlephenomenon.Hanwantstochangehisnameto“BruceLee”,whichisfamiliartoChineseandWesternaudiences.BruceLeeisatall,internationallyfamousmoviemartialartsstar;Hanhasashortstature,ababyface,andhasnodemeanorasamartialartsstar.TheaudiencehasproducedthecontextualhypothesisofthegreatdifferencebetweenmartialartsstarBruceLeeandrestaurantownerHan,butHanhimselfisunconsciousandnaturallyproducesahumorousatmosphere.3.2.2RhetoricalDevicesCarolineandMaxflashsalesintheTATringshopbathroom.Caroline:Onestall’sopen...inandout!Runningabusiness!Customer:Thatwomanpushedaheadofus.DonotsellhermyTATring.Max:It’sfun.You’reheretopickup.She’sheretodropoff.Punsareusedhere.“Pickup”and“dropoff”arecommonEnglishphraseswithrichmeanings.InthecontextofCarolineandMaxflashsalesinthebathroom,themeaningof“pickup”isobvious,whichmeans“pickup”or“pickup”;however,thephrase“dropoff”itselfhasmultiplemeaningsandcreatesverbalambiguity.Punistheuseofpolysemyorhomonymphenomenonofwords,inaspecificcontext,intentionallymakewordsandsentenceshavedoublemeaning,toachievetherhetoricaleffectofwordsinonemeaningandanother.Theessentialfeatureofpunistoplacethecenterofdiscoursemeaningonambiguity.Theestablishmentofpunfiguresofspeechmustsatisfy“thecoexistenceofdoublecontexts.Bothcontextscanmakesensetoeachother,andatthesametimethetwocontextsneedtohaveapointofintersection”(LiZanhua,2000).Intheabovecontext,thephrase“dropoff”hasboththecontextofgoingtothebathroomtofacilitatetheconvenienceofthebathroomandthecontextofsellingandunloadingthegoods.Theintersectionofthetwoisthattheoriginalsingle-functionspaceofthebathroomhasbeenattachedtotheadditionalfunctionofthesalesplace,whichconveysthehumorouseffectofthedialogue.MaxdiscusseswithCarolineandaskshertodatethewebdesigner.Max:Areyousureaboutthis?He’scute.Andtrustme,youcouldusealittlesalsaonyourwhiterice.Caroline:IjustlosteverydollarIhad.Thelastthingonmymindrightnoisguys—anytypeofguy.Metaphorisoneofthemostcommonlyusedrhetoricaldevices.Itsmeaningis:theobjectofthoughthassomethingsimilartoanother,socomparetheobjectofthoughtwiththatother:thatis,compareonethingorsituationtoanother.Byusingit,wecanturnstrangethingsintofamiliarthings,makethedeeptruthsimple,andturnabstractthingsintoconcreteandimage.Theabovesituationsusemetaphorsinfigurativerhetoric.Maxuses“whiterice”torefertoCaroline,and“salsa”torefertoawebpagedesignersittingonabooth.“whiterice”describesCarolineaswhite,“salsa”means“spicysaucemadefromonions”,describeswebdesignerashandsomeandattractive.Sothattheaudiencecanexperiencetherelevantcontextandfeelthehumorinit.ConclusionWithintheframeworkofrelevancetranslationtheory,thispapermakesastudyofverbalhumorinthesitcom2BrokeGirls.Relevancetheoryprovidesuswithanewperspectivetostudylanguageandsocialphenomenawhichbroadensourresearchdirections.Throug