Part of
The Pragmatics of Humour in Interactive ContextsEdited by Esther Linares Bernabéu
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 335] 2023
► pp. 133–151
Edited by Esther Linares Bernabéu
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 335] 2023
► pp. 133–151
Humor negotiation in interactional sequences in Spanish
This paper reports on the analysis of humor negotiation in Spanish, using a database of 148 humorous sequences drawn from 67 colloquial conversations of the VALESCO.HUMOR corpus (accessible at www.observahumor.com; cf. Ruiz-Gurillo, 2021; 2022). To this end, three variables were addressed. First, following Martin et al. (2003), the style adopted by the speaker in their turn was analyzed as affiliative, aggressive, self-defeating or self-enhancing. Affiliative and aggressive styles predominate in the data, whereas self-defeating and self-enhancing styles are underrepresented. Second, we asked how participants are seen to evaluate the verbal behavior within sequences in terms of politeness, mock impoliteness, impoliteness and non-politeness (Sinkeviciute, 2019). Finally, an assessment was made of each sequence regarding how it could be understood as creating intimacy (endogroup sequence) or as a form of confrontation (confrontational sequence). Taken together, these variables (style, evaluation of politeness, and the main effect of the sequence) led to the identification of three main trends: politeness with an affiliative style in endogroup sequences; mock impoliteness with an aggressive style in endogroup sequences; and mock politeness with an aggressive style in confrontational sequences.
Keywords: humor, conversation, politeness, affiliative style, aggressive style
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Towards an analysis for humor negotiation
- 2.1Interactional humor in spontaneous conversations
- 2.2Politeness and humor
- 2.3Humor styles, politeness and effects
- 3.Methodology
- 4.Humor negotiation in the VALESCO.HUMOR corpus
- 4.1Politeness with an affiliative style in endogroup sequences
- 4.2Mock impoliteness with an aggressive style in endogroup sequences
- 4.3Mock politeness with an aggressive style in confrontational sequences
- 5.Conclusion
-
Notes -
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