关联理论视角下对比分析《爱情公寓》和《老友记》的英汉幽默语

摘要本论文基于关联理论对比中国情景喜剧《爱情公寓》与美国情景喜剧《老友记》中的英汉幽默语，探讨两者在幽默生成机制、语言技巧、文化背景和观众认知参与等方面的异同。研究发现《爱情公寓》通过夸张与情境幽默，结合中国社会文化背景和网络语言，创造了直接且富有共鸣的幽默效果；而《老友记》则利用双关语、讽刺和角色个性反差，展现了更复杂的幽默效果。两部剧的幽默体现了各自文化的特色，并反映了不同文化对幽默的理解差异。最后，本研究将为未来跨文化幽默研究、情景喜剧的本土化改编提供一定的参考价值。ABSTRACTThisthesiscomparestheEnglishandChinesehumourintheChinesesitcomLoveApartmentandtheAmericansitcomFriendsbasedontheassociationtheory,andexploresthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetwointermsofhumourgenerationmechanism,languageskills,culturalbackgroundandaudiencecognitiveengagement.ItisfoundthatLoveApartmentcreatesdirectandresonanthumourthroughexaggerationandsituationalhumour,combinedwithChinesesocio-culturalcontextandInternetlanguage,whileFriendsdemonstratesamorecomplexhumoureffectthroughtheuseofpuns,sarcasm,andcontrastsincharacters'personalities.Thehumourofthetwoshowsreflectsthecharacteristicsoftheirrespectiveculturesandreflectsthedifferencesintheunderstandingofhumouracrosscultures.Finally,thisstudywillprovidesomereferencevalueforfuturecross-culturalhumourresearchandlocaladaptationofsitcoms. Chapter1Introduction1.1BackgroundoftheStudyHumour,asalinguisticphenomenon,iscross-culturallyuniversal,butitsformsandexpressionsaredistinctivedependingonlanguage,cultureandsocialbackground.Theunderstandingofhumouroftendependsontheculturalconnotationsandsocialcontextsbehindthewords,sothestudyofhumourindifferentculturalcontextsisofgreatsignificanceforcross-culturalcommunicationandlanguagelearning.RelevanceTheory,proposedbySperberandWilson,stressesthattheessenceofcommunicationisachievedthroughareasoningprocessthatmaximisesrelevance,wherebythelisteneridentifieshumorousintentionsthroughreasoning.Acomparativeanalysisofthehumorouslanguageinthesetwodramascanprovideabetterunderstandingofthehumorousmechanismandrevealthecross-culturalhumorousexpressionsandtheirculturaldifferences.1.2PurposeoftheStudyLoveApartmentandFriendsrepresenttherepresentativeworksofChinaandtheUnitedStatesinthefieldofsitcomsrespectively.ComparingtheirhumorouslanguageandexpressionscanextractthedifferencesinhumourunderstandingandexpressionbetweenChineseandWesterncultures,thusenhancingcross-culturalcommunicationandunderstanding.Thecharactersinthetwoepisodesareportrayeddifferently,whichdirectlyaffectstheirhumourstylesandtheuseofhumourlanguage.Duetolanguagedifferences,EnglishandChinesehavedifferentcharacteristicsandwaysofhumourexpression.Comparingthestrategiesandformsofhumourexpressionbetweenthetwolanguageshelpstodeeplyunderstandthecommunicationbarriersandcommunicationdifferencesbetweenlanguagesandcultures,andprovidestheoreticalguidanceandpracticalsuggestionsforcross-culturalcommunication.Therefore,throughthecomparativeanalysisoftheEnglishandChinesehumorouslanguageofLoveApartmentandFriendsundertheperspectiveofcorrelationtheory,itcannotonlyenrichthetheoreticalframeworkofhumourresearch,butalsodeepentheunderstandingofculturaldifferencesandthefunctionofhumourinlinguisticcommunication,whichhasanimportantroleinpromotingcross-culturalcommunicationandunderstanding.1.3SignificanceoftheStudyThisstudyisimportantforafewreasons.First,itoffersafreshwaytoanalyzehumorinsitcoms,whichissomethingthathasn'tbeenexploredindepthbefore.Byusingrelevancetheoryasalens,itopensupnewpossibilitiesforunderstandingthesubtlemechanismsbehindhumorinTVshows.Thisapproachnotonlypushesforwardhumortheorybutalsoprovidesafoundationforfutureresearchinthisarea.Second,bycomparingthehumorinLoveApartmentandFriends,thisstudyhighlightshowhumorisn'tjustauniversalconceptbutisdeeplyshapedbyculturalandsocialfactors.ItshedslightonhowhumorinChinadiffersfromhumorintheU.S.andhelpspromotebettercross-culturalunderstanding.Peoplefromdifferentbackgroundsofteninterprethumorinuniqueways,andthisstudyencouragesviewerstothinkmorecriticallyaboutwhysomethingisfunnyinoneculturebutmightnotbeinanother.Finally,theresultshavepracticalvaluefortheproductionofsitcoms.TVshowcreatorscanusetheinsightsfromthisstudytomaketheirsitcomsmoreengagingbytailoringhumortoresonatewithdifferentaudiences.Whetherit'sforaChineseorAmericanaudience,knowinghowtousehumoreffectivelycangreatlyenhanceashow'sentertainmentfactorandappeal.So,overall,thisstudynotonlyadvancesacademicunderstandingofhumorbutalsohasreal-worldimplicationsfortheentertainmentindustry.1.4ResearchQuestionsoftheStudyBasedontheperspectiveofcorrelationtheory,thisstudycomparesandanalysestheEnglish-ChinesehumourdiscourseinLoveApartmentandFriendstoexplorethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetwointermsofhumourgeneratingmechanisms,linguisticfeatures,culturalcontextualinfluencesandaudiencecognitiveengagement.Firstly,thestudyfocusesonwhethertheconstructionofhumourinthetwodramasfollowsasimilarcognitivemechanism,andtheinfluenceofEnglish-Chineselinguisticstructureontheexpressionofhumour.ThisstudyaimstoexplorehowthelinguisticstructuresofEnglishandChineseshapehumorinLoveApartmentandFriends,andhowthesestructuraldifferencesaffecthowhumorisperceivedinbothlanguages.Thewayeachlanguageisbuilt,withitsuniquegrammar,wordorder,andculturalreferences,playsahugeroleinhowjokesareconstructedandunderstood.Forexample,Englishoftenreliesonwordplayandidioms,whichmaynottranslatewellintoChinese,whileChinesehumortendstoleanmoreoncontextandtone.Additionally,thehumorinbothsitcomsreflectsthevaluesanddailylivesofChineseandAmericansocieties.LoveApartmentcapturesChinesesocialnormsandtherapidchangesinurbanlife,whileFriendsshowcasesAmericanidealsoffriendship,independence,andfreedom.Theseculturaldifferencesinfluencehowhumorisframedandwhat’sconsideredfunnyineachsociety.Finally,thestudyalsolooksathowaudiencesprocesshumorcognitively.Whenviewerswatchasitcom,theirbrainsmakequickconnections,pickingupontiming,tone,andothercuestounderstandthepunchlines.Thisprocessdiffersbetweencultures,andunderstandingthesecognitivepatternshelpsexplainhowhumorisdecodedwithminimaleffortformaximumimpact.Byaddressingthesequestions,thestudyuncoversthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinhowEnglishandChinesehumorworkinsitcoms,providingvaluableinsightsforcross-culturalhumorresearch,filmandTVtranslation,andlocaladaptationsofsitcoms.

Chapter2LiteratureReview2.1DomesticResearchStatusonRelevanceTheoryRelevancetheoryoffersacrucialcognitiveframeworkforunderstandinghumor,sheddinglightonthecomplexitiesinvolvedinhowweinterpretjokes.ChenYiran(2021)highlightedtheessentialroleofcontextandtherelevanceofinformationinhumorcreation,stressingthathumorcomprehensionreliesonquicklyprocessingwhat'srelevantinagivencontext.Buildingonthisidea,YingZhang(2020)tookadeeperlookatthecognitivemechanismsinvolvedinlinguistichumor,pointingouthowcognitiveloadandthewayweprocessinformationarekeyfactorsingeneratinghumor.Inasimilarapproach,WangLihua(2020)usedrelevancetheorytoanalyzejokes,explainingthathumoroftenreliesonunexpectedeffectsbroughtaboutbychangesincontext.Goingfurther,PengZhang(2020)studiedhowcontextinfluenceshumorandfoundthatcreatinghumoriscloselytiedtoathoroughunderstandingofthespecificcontextandtheabilitytolinkrelevantinformationeffectively.ThisperspectivewasfurthersupportedbyYufangLiu(2021),whoexploredhowrelevancetheoryappliestohumorcomprehension,underscoringhowboththeprocessingofinformationandthecontextinwhichhumoroccurshaveaprofoundimpactonhowweexperiencehumor.Additionally,GuoXiaoping(2023)approachedhumorfromtheperspectiveofinformationprocessing,arguingthatrelevancetheoryoffersasolidexplanationforhowwementallyprocesshumorandunderstanditssocialfunction.AccordingtoGuo,relevancetheorycanhelpusbreakdownthecognitivestepsinvolvedingettingajoke,aswellastherolehumorplaysinsocialinteractionsandcommunication.Inthisregard,XiaXuyuan(2020)summarizedtheprogressofhumorresearchbasedonrelevancetheory,examiningtheinformationprocessingmechanismsinvarioustypesofhumor.Similarly,ZhuMin(2014)studiedtheformationofhumorfromacognitiveperspective,exploringthekeyinfluenceofinformationassociationonhumoreffects.Finally,ZhaoYun(2021)analyzedthemanifestationsofhumorunderrelevancetheoryanddiscussedhowhumorcanbeunderstoodthroughtheassociationofinformationandcontext.2.2ForeignResearchStatusonRelevanceTheorySeveraloverseasstudieshaveappliedrelevancetheorytoexplorehowhumorisgeneratedandunderstood.Forinstance,Veatch(2021),inhisarticleTheoryofHumorpublishedinHumor:InternationalJournalofHumorResearch,arguesthathumoroftenarisesfromamismatchbetweenexpectationsandreality.Heemphasizesthatthisdiscrepancyrequiresminimalcognitiveefforttoresolve,suggestingthathumorisfundamentallyacognitiveprocessdrivenbytheefficientprocessingofinformation.Buildingonthiscognitiveapproach,Holmes,J.(2021),inHumorandGenderintheWorkplace,frameshumorasaconflictbetweencognitivescripts,pointingoutthathumoremergeswhenthereisinconsistencyandsurprise,whichchallengeourexpectationsinaplayfulway.Inasimilarvein,Coulson,S.(2021),inFrame-shiftingandConceptualBlendinginMeaningConstruction(CambridgeUniversityPress),expandsontheseideasbyfocusingonhumorineverydayconversation.Shestressesthathumorplaysakeyroleinsocialinteractions,especiallyinsharedcontexts,whereitservesasatoolforcommunicationandhelpsestablishconnectionsbetweenpeople.DeyinC.(2023),inStudyonCausesofDifferencesinTaxBurdenofValue-AddedTaxfromthePerspectiveofIndustrialLinkage,takesapsychologicalangle,exploringhowhumorengagesbothcognitiveandemotionalprocesses.Hesuggeststhathumordoesn’tjuststimulateourthinkingbutalsoelicitsemotionalresponses,makingitapowerfultoolforboththemindandemotions.YuJ.(2024),inGreenDevelopmentofChineseAgriculturefromthePerspectiveofBidirectionalCorrelation,extendsrelevancetheorybyincorporatingthediscursiveaspectsofcommunication.Thisstudyemphasizeshowcontextanddiscourseplayacrucialroleinhumor,showingthathumorisoftenshapedbytheinteractionbetweenlanguageandthebroadercommunicativecontext.Similarly,FabienM.(2023),inAlertintheDynamicsofWater-Energy-FoodProductioninAfricanCountriesfromaNexusPerspective,looksathumorfromalinguisticandculturalstandpoint,investigatinghowculturalnormsandlanguagestructuresinfluencethewayhumorisunderstoodandinterpretedacrossdifferentsocieties.LiH.(2023),inExploringVirtualWaterNetworkDynamicsofChina’sElectricityTrade:InsightsintotheEnergy-WaterNexus,examineshowhumorreflectsandreinforcessocialstructures.Hesuggeststhathumornotonlymirrorssocietalvaluesandhierarchiesbutcanalsohelpreinforcethem.Thesestudiesprovideacomprehensiveperspectiveonhowrelevancetheoryexplainshumorgenerationandcomprehension.Theydemonstratethathumorismultidimensional,involvingcognitive,psychological,linguistic,andculturalfactors.Byconsideringboththecognitiveefficiencyinvolvedinunderstandinghumorandthecontextinwhichitisproduced,thesestudiesofferadeepinsightintohumorasacomplexsocialandcommunicativeprocess.

Chapter3RelevanceTheoreticalFramework3.1AssociationtheoryRelevancetheorywasproposedbyBrianSpencer(DanSperber)andDeirdreWilson(DeirdreWilson)in1986asanextensionandmodificationoftraditionaltheoriesofpragmatics,suchasGrace’stheoryofconversationalmeaning.Thecoreideaofrelevancetheoryisthatthepurposeoflinguisticcommunicationisnotonlytoconveyinformation,butalsotoreachthemostrelevantinformationinagivencontextthroughreasoning.3.1.1DefinitionofRelevanceTheoryOneofthecoreideasofRelevanceTheoryisthathumansnaturallyaimtomaximizerelevanceduringcommunication.Thismeansthatwetrytogetthemostinformationwiththeleastamountofcognitiveeffort.Whenengaginginverbalcommunication,listenersactivelyworktointerpretthemessageinawaythatalignswiththisprincipleofmaximumrelevance.Theyusetheavailableinformationandcontexttoinferthemeaningthatfitsbest,focusingonwhatseemsmostrelevantandbeneficialtotheirunderstanding.AccordingtoRelevanceTheory,ourcognitiveprocessisallaboutmakingsenseofinformationbydrawingconclusionsbasedontheassumptionsthataremostrelevant.Simplyput,whenfacedwithmultiplepossibleinterpretations,thelistenerwillchoosetheonethatnotonlyfitsthecontextbutalsoprovidesthegreatestcognitivepayoff—allowingthemtoprocessthemessagemoreefficiently.RelevancetheorywasdevelopedbySperberandWilson,markedbythepublicationofRelevance:CommunicationandCognition(1986,1995),twolinguistswhoforthefirsttimeadoptedacognitiveapproachtothestudyoflinguistics.Sinceitsinception,thetheoryhasshowngreatvitality.Thecoreelementsoftheassociationtheoryarebasedonthefollowingassumptions:First,eachdiscoursecorrespondstoseveraldifferentinterpretationsthatarecompatiblewiththedecodingofthelinguisticinformationofthediscourse;second,theseinterpretationsdonotreceiveequalattentionfromthelistenerinallcases;third,thelisteneradoptsasingleandgeneralizedcriterionofattention;fourth,thiscriterionstronglyexcludesotherinterpretations,leavingthelistenerwithasingleinterpretationandleadingthelistenertoconcludethatthereisnootherinterpretation.Fourthly,thiscriterioncanpowerfullyexcludealternativeinterpretations,leavingthelistenerwithasingleinterpretation,andleadingthelistenertoassumethatthefirstinterpretationtosatisfythiscriterionistheonlycorrectone.Thiscriterionis:‘Humancognitionisrelevance-orientated.Humansfocusonlyoninformationthatisrelevanttothem’(Sperber&Wilson,1992).SpurgerandWilsonalsoproposedthetheoryofdynamiccontext,inwhichtheyarguedthatpeople'ssearchforassociationsdoesnottakeplaceinafixedcontext,butthatthecontextitselfisadynamicprocess.Inthisprocess,peoplealsousetheircultural,scientific,generalandencyclopedicknowledgetofindthebestassociations.Humorisauniquefeatureofhumanlanguage.Thestudyofhumorhasahistoryofovertwothousandyears,datingbacktothetimeofAristotle.Differentscholarshaveapproachedthestudyofhumorfromvariousperspectives,andlinguistshavealsomadetheirowncontributionsinthisprocess.Amongthem,theRelevanceTheoryhasproposedabrand-newperspectiveonthestudyofhumorandhasplayedanindispensableroleinthisfield.ThispaperwillexplorethemechanismofthegenerationofhumorouslanguagefromtheperspectiveoftheRelevanceTheory.3.1.2ApplicationsofRelevanceTheoryApplicationinCross-CulturalCommunication:Associationtheoryplaysacrucialroleincross-culturalhumorresearch.Byapplyingthistheory,scholarscandelveintohowhumorisprocessedcognitivelyindifferentlinguisticandculturalcontexts,sheddinglightonthevariationsinhowhumorisunderstoodandappreciatedacrosscultures.Forexample,whenexaminingthehumorousmomentsinLoveApartmentandFriends,associationtheoryhelpsusunderstandthecognitivemechanismsbehindthehumorinthesetwoshows,whicharesetindifferentculturalenvironments.Thisapproachcanrevealkeyculturaldifferencesinhowhumorisperformed.Forinstance,Chinesehumoroftenleansmoretowardsituationalcomedyandinterpersonalrelationships,whileAmericanhumortendstofocusmoreonverbalwit,sarcasm,andirony.ApplicationsinLinguisticResearch:Inlinguistics,associationtheoryhasmadesignificantcontributionstothestudyofpragmatics.Ithighlightstheimportanceofcontextininterpretingmeaning,particularlywhendealingwithcomplexlinguisticphenomenalikepuns,metaphors,andirony.Inthesecases,associationtheoryprovidesarobustframeworkforexplaininghowtheselinguisticelementsfunction.Forexample,inhumorousdialogues,it’simportanttounderstandhowalistenerreasonsoutthehumorousintentionbasedonthesurroundingcontext.Associationtheoryalsoaddresseshowthelistenernavigatesthroughmultiplepossibleinterpretationsandchoosestheonethatalignsbestwiththecontextandoffersthemostcognitiverelevance.ApplicationinTranslation:Intranslation,associationtheoryalsoprovidestheoreticalsupportforhumoroustranslation.Whentranslatinghumour,translatorsneedtofindaninterpretationthatmaximizesrelevancebetweenthesourceandtargetlanguages,whichusuallymeansnotonlybeingfaithfultotheliteralmeaningofthelanguage,butalsoconveyingthecognitiveeffectoftheoriginalhumour.Therefore,theuseofrelevancetheorycanhelptranslatorsdealwiththeimpactofculturaldifferencesonhumourtranslationandensurethatthehumorouseffectismaintained.3.2AssociationTheoryandtheMechanismofHumourGenerationThecoreassumptionofassociationtheoryisthathumanbeingstendtopursuemaximumrelevanceintheprocessofcommunication,thatistosay,togetthemostinformationwiththeleastcognitiveeffort.Forexample,whenacertainverbalexpressionappearstobeinlinewiththenormonthesurface,butduetocontextualguidance,thelistenerwillfindanotherlayerofmeaningorconflictimplied,whichinturngenerateshumour.Humourusuallystemsfromamismatchofinformationoracontradictionincontext.Accordingtothecorrelationtheory,thelistener,whenencounteringacertainlinguisticexpression,willreasonandtrytofindthemostrelevantexplanation.Whenhumourarises,thelistenerisoftenfacedwithachoicebetweenmultipleinterpretations,someofwhichareoftenunexpected,outoftheordinary,withabsurdorironicconnotations,whichcanleadtolaughter.Forexample,apunmaybeinterpreteddifferentlyintwodifferentcontexts,andsuchunexpectedinterpretationsarethesourceofhumour.3.2.1CognitiveProcessesofHumourTheproductionofhumourdoesnotdependsolelyonthedirectpresentationofthe‘punchline’,butisachievedthroughthecognitivereasoningprocessofthelistener.Whenahumorousmessageisconveyedtothelistener,thelistenerwillreasonaccordingtothecontext,knowledgebackground,etc.,tofindthemostappropriatewayofunderstanding.Theeffectofhumouroftenreliesonthecognitiveburdenofreasoning,i.e.3.2.2ThePrincipleofRelevanceinHumourHumoroftenreliesontheaudience'sabilitytoreasonthroughunexpectedconnectionsinordertounderstandandappreciatethejoke.Whenitcomestopuns,theyareaclassiccomedicdevicethatworksbypresentingtwoormorepossibleinterpretationsthroughthedoublemeaningofawordorphrase.Correlationtheoryexplainsthatthehumorinpunsarisesfromthelistener’sprocessofselectingthemostrelevantinterpretationfromthesemultiplemeanings.Thehumorisnotjustaboutthewordsthemselves,butalsoabouthowthelistenerworksthroughthereasoningprocesstofindtheinterpretationthatbestfitsthecontext.Forexample,inLoveApartment,acommoncomedictechniqueinvolvesthecharactersusingpunsorvagueexpressions.AtypicalinstanceiswhenthecharacterKitsays,"Youcanbeapartofmylife,too."Thisseeminglysimplestatementcanbeinterpretedintwoways:eitherasaromanticconfessionorasanofferfortheotherpersontoplayapracticalroleinhislife,likebeingahelpfulcompanionortool.Thisambiguity,createdbythemultipleinterpretations,generateshumorastheaudienceinfersthemostcontextuallyrelevantmeaning.3.3ApplicationofAssociationTheory3.3.1ApplicationinCross-CulturalCommunicationAssociationtheoryplaysacrucialroleincross-culturalhumorresearch.Byapplyingthistheory,scholarscanexplorethecognitiveprocessesbehindhumorinvariouslinguisticandculturalcontexts,sheddinglightonhowhumorisunderstoodandaccepteddifferentlyacrosscultures.Forinstance,whenanalyzingthehumorinLoveApartmentandFriends,associationtheoryhelpsusunderstandnotonlythecomediceffectsbutalsothecognitivemechanismsatplayinthesetwoshows,setinverydifferentculturalenvironments.ThiskindofanalysisrevealshowhumorvariesbetweenChineseandAmericancultures.InChinesehumor,there'softenastrongemphasisonsituationalandinterpersonalcomedy—humorarisingfromeverydaylifeandpersonalinteractions.Ontheotherhand,Americanhumortendstofocusmoreonverbalwit,irony,andthecleveruseoflanguagetocreatehumor.3.3.2ApplicationsinLinguisticResearchAssociationtheoryhasmadesignificantcontributionstothefieldofpragmaticsinlinguisticsbyemphasizingthecentralrolethatcontextplaysinunderstandingmeaning.Thisisespeciallycrucialwhendealingwithcomplexlinguisticphenomenalikepuns,metaphors,andirony,wheretheintendedmeaningoftengoesbeyondtheliteralinterpretationofwords.Associationtheoryoffersavaluableframeworkforexplaininghowtheselinguisticdevicesfunction,asitaccountsforthewaymeaningisshapedbybothcontextandcognitiveprocessing.Forinstance,inhumorousdialogues,thelistener'sabilitytoreasonthroughthecontextandinferthespeaker'shumorousintentionisakeyaspectofunderstandingthehumor.Thelistenermustalsonavigatemultiplepossibleinterpretationsofthewordsorphrasesused,choosingtheonethatismostrelevantandfittingtothecontext.Thiscognitiveprocessofselectingthemostcontextuallyappropriateinterpretationisattheheartofassociationtheoryandplaysafundamentalroleinhowhumorisunderstood.3.3.3ApplicationinTranslationIntranslation,associationtheoryalsoprovidestheoreticalsupportforhumoroustranslation.Whentranslatinghumour,translatorsneedtofindaninterpretationthatmaximizesrelevancebetweenthesourceandtargetlanguages,whichusuallymeansnotonlybeingfaithfultotheliteralmeaningofthelanguage,butalsoconveyingthecognitiveeffectoftheoriginalhumour.Therefore,theuseofrelevancetheorycanhelptranslatorsdealwiththeeffectsofculturaldifferencesonhumourtranslationandensurethatthehumorouseffectismaintained.

Chapter4Correlation-BasedAnalysisofVerbalHumour4.1AnalysisofHumourinLoveApartment4.1.1TypesandExpressionsofHumourLoveApartmentisatypicalsitcomwithvariousformsofhumour,includingsituationalhumour,verbalhumour,characterconflicthumourandsoon.TheconflictbetweenZhanbo’snerdytemperamentandhisromanticandsocialbehaviour,orthecontrastbetweenZengXiaoxian’sfrivolityandhisactualemotionalneeds.Thecharacteristicsofeachcharacterandtherelationshipbetweenthemareexpressedhumorouslythroughdailydialoguesandbehaviouralreactions,andtheaudienceresonateswiththehumourthroughthe‘surreal’presentationofthesecharacters’personalities.LinguistichumourisanotherimportantformofhumourinLoveApartment,whichismainlyexpressedinpuns,wordgames,sarcasmandexaggeration.4.1.2Humour’sCognitiveConnectionwiththeAudienceHumourisoftenachievedthroughcognitivereversalsorunexpectedeffects.ManyofthelaughsinLoveApartmentareachievedby‘exceedingexpectations’,andtheaudienceneedstofindthemostrelevanthumorousexplanationsbyreasoningaboutthesituationsordialogues.Accordingtoassociationtheory,this‘cognitiveload’isanimportantpartofhumourproduction.Viewersneedtoidentifytheintentionandmessagebehindthehumourthroughthereasoningprocesswhenwatchingtheepisode,inordertomaximisethebenefitoftheinformationthroughtheleastamountofcognitiveresources.4.2AnalysisofHumourinFriends4.2.1HumourTechniquesandStylesAsaclassicsitcom,Friendsispopularamongaudiencesforitsuniquehumourtechniquesandstyle.Itshumorousexpressionsnotonlyrelyonthecharacters’personalitiesandinteractions,butalsoincludethelanguageskillsinthedialogues,thesettingofsituationsandtheclevercombinationofculturalbackgrounds.Associativetheoryviewscommunicationasanexplicit-inferentialprocess.Explicitisdirectedatthespeakerandinferentialisdirectedatthelistener.Inthisprocess,thespeakerprovidesinformationthatisoptimallyrelevant,andthelistenermustseekmaximumrelevanceinordertounderstandthespeaker'swordstoreducehisorherprocessingeffort.Humourarisesfromthedifferencebetweenoptimalandmaximalrelevance,andinordertocompensateforthisdifference,thelistenerhastoexertextraprocessingeffort,andthisextraeffortisthesourceofhumour.Inthefollowingpaper,wewilltaketheAmericansitcom‘OldFriends’asanexampletoexplorethemechanismofhumourgenerationfromtheperspectiveofassociationtheory.(1)Scene:Rachelhasjustrunawayfromhisweddingceremony,everybodyistryingtocomforther,Phoebewhoalsofeelobligedtosaysomethingsharesherearlierexperienceswithothers.Phoebewhoalsofeelobligedtosaysomethingsharesherearlierexperienceswithothers.Monica:Comeon,youcan'tliveoffyourparentsyourwholelife.Rachel:Iknowthat.That’swhyIwasgettingmarried.That’swhyIwasgettingmarried.(laughter...)Phoebe:Giveherabreak,it'shardbeingonyourownforthefirsttime.Rachel:Thankyou.IrememberwhenIfirstcametothiscity.Iwasfourteen.Mymomhadjustkilledherselfandmystep-dadwasbackinprison,andIgothere,andIdidn'tknowwhattodo.Mymomhadjustkilledherselfandmystep-dadwasbackinpr