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Pragmatics and its Interfaces
Edited by Cornelia Ilie and Neal R. Norrick
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 294] 2018
► pp. 291–309

Pragmatics, humor studies, and the study of interaction

In this chapter, I examine the interface between pragmatics and humor studies, first by outlining the contributions pragmatics has made to our understanding of what humor is and how it functions in everyday interaction. I review research that draws on a range of empirical methods, to illustrate the diverse ways in which the interface has been approached and what these approaches have demonstrated about non-serious talk. I then examine how humor scholarship can inform our understanding of language use, and close by considering ways in which the pragmatics-humor interface might continue to develop. Here, I argue specifically for further integration of humor research into pragmatics.

Keywords: humor, failed humor, language play, social relationships
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Contributions of pragmatics to humor studies
  • 3.Contributions of humor studies to pragmatics
    • 3.1Humor and contextualization processes
    • 3.2Humor and identity
    • 3.3Humor and the negotiation of social relationships
  • 4.Future interfaces
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 7 September 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.294.13bel
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