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Constructing humour through the use of English in Chinese stand-up comedy

ORCiD logo with link | Jinan University
 | South China Normal University
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Abstract
Representing a comedic genre where language, identity, ideology are performed and negotiated through discursive strategies, stand-up comedy provides a socially revealing site for studying humour as a discourse practice. This study focuses on the phenomenon of English as bilingual creativity in Chinese stand-up comedy performances, exploring how it operates as a speech style in the Chinese context. Drawing upon theoretical insights from sociolinguistics, discourse pragmatics and humour studies, this paper examines how the use of English serves as a resource for audience engagement and humour construction in Chinese stand-up comedy discourse. The study identifies linguistic mechanisms and discursive strategies of bilingual creativity featured in the Chinese context. Linguistically, the practice of bilingual creativity includes intra-/inter-sentential code mixing and three types of English usage: unmarked, marked, and referential. These various uses of English perform two major discursive functions: they may function as direct punchlines or discursive mockery to entertain the audience, or they can alternatively deliver judgmental or appreciative comments to align with the audience. Finally, this paper discusses social issues associated with bilingual creativity, such as language style, emotionality, and multicultural identity branding in contemporary Chinese cultural discourse.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Humour in stand-up comedy
  • 3.Research methodology
    • 3.1Data collection
    • 3.2Data description
    • 3.3Methodological framework in data analysis
  • 4.Discursive-pragmatic analysis of using English in humour construction
    • 4.1Using English as straight punchlines
    • 4.2Using English as discursive mockery
    • 4.3Using English as commentary
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1The use of English as style
    • 5.2The use of English and emotionality
    • 5.3Branding multicultural identity in the promotional culture
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Author queries
  • References
References (97)
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