In:Exploring the Sociopragmatics of Online Humor
Villy Tsakona
[Topics in Humor Research 12] 2024
► pp. vii–x
Published online: 18 July 2024
https://doi.org/10.1075/thr.12.toc
https://doi.org/10.1075/thr.12.toc
Table of contents
Acknowledgments
xi
Introduction
1
Chapter 1.Humor and context within the (socio)pragmatic theories
of humor 10
of humor 10
1.1Introductory remarks
10
1.2Context in competence theories of humor
11
1.3Context in other approaches to humor
16
1.4Towards a more contextualized version of the General Theory
of Verbal Humor 25
of Verbal Humor 25
1.5Attardo’s proposal on a performance theory of humor
27
1.6Kuipers’ conceptualization of the knowledge about humor
30
1.7The Discourse Theory of Humor
32
1.8Summary
37
Chapter 2.Humorous and non-humorous interpretations of attempts
at humor – or why humor may fail 39
at humor – or why humor may fail 39
2.1Introductory remarks
39
2.2Metapragmatics and the study of humor
40
2.3On humor failure and success
47
2.4Humor failure and the Discourse Theory of Humor
51
2.5The data of the case study
52
2.6Data analysis
54
2.7Discussion
63
2.8Summary
64
Chapter 3.Humor as metapragmatic commentary on language use –
or how people attempt to regulate language use through humor 66
or how people attempt to regulate language use through humor 66
3.1Introductory remarks
66
3.2On memes and their metapragmatic function
68
3.3Greek traditionalist grammar memes: Humorous memes
about the cooking contest Master Chef Greece 72
about the cooking contest Master Chef Greece 72
3.3.1Interpreting standard and/or prestigious varieties
as dialectal Greek 77
as dialectal Greek 77
3.3.2Expanding the use of the dialect of Ioannina
82
3.3.3Discussion
85
3.4Greek backlash memes: Humorous memes about the translation
of English loanwords into Greek 86
of English loanwords into Greek 86
3.4.1Inappropriate connotations
92
3.4.2Uncommon and unusable translation equivalents
93
3.4.3Lower or higher inappropriate style
94
3.4.4‘Bad’ English
96
3.4.5Informal versus formal Greek
97
3.4.6Corrective acts are incongruous
98
3.4.7Discussion
99
3.5Summary
102
Chapter 4.Humorous ambiguity – or why humor may engender diverse
and contradictory interpretations 103
and contradictory interpretations 103
4.1Introductory remarks
103
4.2On humor and social discrimination
104
4.3The co-existence of racist and antiracist discourse
107
4.4The genre of satirical news
109
4.5Data description
112
4.6Data analysis
113
4.6.1Explicitly denigrating racists
114
4.6.2Mocking those trivializing migrants’ lives
116
4.6.3Targeting those who act for the benefit of migrants
120
4.7Discussion
123
4.8Summary
124
Chapter 5.Evaluation and intertextuality in humorous discourse –
or how speakers create social groups through humor 126
or how speakers create social groups through humor 126
5.1Introductory remarks
126
5.2The evaluative/critical dimension of humor
127
5.3Intertextuality and humor
131
5.4The data of the study
133
5.5Data analysis
135
5.5.1Serious critical posts
135
5.5.2Humorous critical verbal posts
138
5.5.3Humorous critical memes
142
5.6Discussion
147
5.7Summary
149
Chapter 6.Humor and critical literacy – or what and how we can learn
about humor from its sociopragmatic analysis 150
about humor from its sociopragmatic analysis 150
6.1Introductory remarks
150
6.2Why teach about humor?
152
6.3What is critical literacy?
154
6.4Why teach about the sociopragmatics of humor within a critical
literacy framework? 160
literacy framework? 160
6.5Designing critical literacy courses on humor
164
6.6A critical literacy approach to pandemic memes: Setting the agenda
167
6.7Humor and memes during the COVID-19 pandemic
168
6.8Classical art memes
173
6.9The aims and data of the analysis
176
6.10Data analysis
180
6.10.1AF3/Text
181
6.10.1.1Recontextualized portraits
184
6.10.1.2Recontextualized interactions
185
6.10.1.3Recontextualized paintings through meme
producers’ commentary 186
producers’ commentary 186
6.10.1.4Compositions including recontextualized paintings
187
6.10.1.4.1Combinations of different paintings
187
6.10.1.4.2Compositions made of the same painting
188
6.10.1.4.3Compositions of paintings
and contemporary photos 190
and contemporary photos 190
6.10.1.5Summarizing the analysis in AF3/Text terms
191
6.10.2AF2/Genre
192
6.10.2.1The sociopragmatic functions of pandemic memes
193
6.10.2.1.1Pandemic memes as sociopolitical criticism
194
6.10.2.1.2Pandemic memes as coping
and bonding mechanisms 198
and bonding mechanisms 198
6.10.2.1.3In between criticism and coping/bonding: Pandemic memes about the ‘new normal’
202
6.10.2.2Generic hybridization in pandemic memes
205
6.10.2.3Summarizing the analysis in AF2/Genre terms
211
6.10.3The analysis in AF1/Sociocultural Assumptions terms
213
6.11Scrutinizing pandemic memes in class
214
6.11.1Students’ collection of humorous data
214
6.11.2Teachers’ familiarity with humor theory
215
6.11.3Critical readings of humorous discourse
215
6.11.4Debating diverse interpretations of humorous discourse
221
6.11.5A comparative perspective – humorous
vs. non-humorous discourse 221
vs. non-humorous discourse 221
6.11.6Sharing perspectives in new texts
222
6.12Summary
223
Chapter 7.Conclusions
224
References
227
Name index
259
Subject index
263
