Cover not available

In:Pragmatic Development in First Language Acquisition
Edited by Danielle Matthews
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 10] 2014
► pp. 219–238

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

The Pragmatic Development of Humor

Published online: 26 June 2014
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.10.13hoi
Humor development is underpinned by children’s pragmatic abilities. This chapter will highlight the link between humor and pragmatics, demonstrating that understanding contexts and intentions is often key to interpreting humor. It will also discuss different theories of humor processing, including incongruity theories, behavioral theories, and pragmatic theories based on Grice’s maxims and Relevance Theory. This chapter will detail research about the development of humor appreciation and production from infancy through adolescence, including children’s understanding of the pragmatics involved in joking. Finally, research on the development of humor in children with autism and Asperger syndrome will be examined, highlighting that humor is more difficult for children with pragmatic difficulties.
References (57)
Andrews, J., Rosenblatt, E., Malkus, U., & Gardner, H. (1986). Children’s abilities to distinguish metaphoric and ironic utterances from mistakes and lies. Communication & Cognition, 19 (3–4), 281–297.
Attardo, S. (1993). Violation of conversational maxims and cooperation: The case of jokes. Journal of Pragmatics , 19(6), 537–558. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bainum, C.K., Lounsbury, K.R., & Pollio, H.R. (1984). The development of laughing and smiling in nursery school children. Child Development , 55(5), 1946–1957. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baron-Cohen, S. (1997). Hey! it was just a joke! understanding propositions and propositional attitudes by normally developing children and children with autism. Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences , 34(3), 174–178.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A.M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a ‘theory of mind’? Cognition , 21(1), 37–46. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bekinschtein, T.A., Davis, M.H., Rodd, J.M., & Owen, A.M. (2011). Why clowns taste funny: The relationship between humor and semantic ambiguity. The Journal of Neuroscience , 31(26), 9665–9671. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Deckers, L., & Kizer, P. (1975). Humor and the incongruity hypothesis. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied , 90(2), 215–218. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Emerich, D.M., Creaghead, N.A., Grether, S.M., Murray, D., & Grasha, C. (2003). The comprehension of humorous materials by adolescents with high-functioning autism and asperger’s syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 33(3), 253–257. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gottfried, G.M. (1997). Using metaphors as modifiers: Children’s production of metaphoric compounds. Journal of Child Language , 24(3), 567–601. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grice, H.P. (1989). Studies in the Way of Words . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hoicka, E., & Akhtar, N. (2011). Preschoolers joke with jokers, but correct foreigners. Developmental Science , 14(4), 848–858. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2012). Early humor production. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 30(4), 586–603. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hoicka, E., & Butcher, J. (2014). Parents Produce Explicit Cues which Help Toddlers Accept and Reject Information. Submitted manuscript.
Hoicka, E., Butcher, J., Malla, F., & Harris, P.L. (2014). The Flexible Trust of Preschoolers: Sensitivity to Variable Intentions. Submitted Manuscript .
Hoicka, E., & Gattis, M. (2008). Do the wrong thing: How toddlers tell a joke from a mistake. Cognitive Development , 23(1), 180–190. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2012). Acoustic differences between toddler-directed humorous and sincere communicative intentions. British Journal of Developmental Psychology , 30(4), 531–549. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hoicka, E., Jutsum, S., & Gattis, M. (2008). Humor, abstraction, and disbelief. Cognitive Science: A Multidisciplinary Journal , 32(6), 985–1002. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hoicka, E., & Wang, S. (2011). Fifteen-month-old infants match vocal cues to intentional actions. Journal of Cognition and Development , 12(3), 299–314. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Johnson, K.E., & Mervis, C.B. (1997). First steps in the emergence of verbal humor: A case study. Infant Behavior & Development , 20(2), 187–196. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leekam, S.R. (1991). Jokes and lies: Children’s understanding of intentional falsehood. In A. Whiten (Ed.), Natural Theories of Mind: Evolution, Development and Simulation of Everyday Mindreading . (pp. 159–174). Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Loizou, E. (2005). Infant humor: The theory of the absurd and the empowerment theory. International Journal of Early Years Education , 13(1), 43–53. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Manke, B. (1998). Genetic and environmental contributions to children’s interpersonal humor. In W. Ruch (Ed.), The Sense of Humor: Explorations of a Personality Characteristic (pp. 361–384). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McCune-Nicolich, L. (1981). Toward symbolic functioning: Structure of early pretend games and potential parallels with language. Child Development , 52(3), 785–797. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McGhee, P.E. (1979). Humor: Its Origin and Development . San Francisco, CA: W.H. Freeman and Company.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mireault, G., Poutre, M., Sargent-Hier, M., Dias, C., Perdue, B., & Myrick, A. (2012). Humor perception and creation between parents and 3- to 6-month-old infants. Infant and Child Development , 21(4), 338–347. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nerhardt, G. (1976). Incongruity and funniness: Towards a new descriptive model. In A.J. ­Chapman, H.C. Foot, A.J. Chapman & H.C. Foot (Eds.), Humor and Laughter: Theory, Research, and Applications (pp. 55–62). Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nichols, S., & Stich, S.P. (2003). Mindreading: An Integrated Account of Pretence, Self-awareness, and Understanding Other Minds . Oxford: Clarendon Press. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pearson, B.Z. (1990). The comprehension of metaphor by preschool children. Journal of Child Language , 17(1), 185–203. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Perner, J., Frith, U., Leslie, A.M., & Leekam, S.R. (1989). Exploration of the autistic child’s theory of mind: Knowledge, belief, and communication. Child Development , 60(3), 689–700. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pexman, P.M., & Glenwright, M. (2007). How do typically developing children grasp the meaning of verbal irony? Journal of Neurolinguistics , 20(2), 178–196. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pien, D., & Rothbart, M.K. (1976). Incongruity and resolution in children’s humor: A reexamination. Child Development , 47(4), 966–971. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Provine, R.R. (1992). Contagious laughter: Laughter is a sufficient stimulus for laughs and smiles. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society , 30(1), 1–4. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2004). Laughing, tickling, and the evolution of speech and self. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 13(6), 215–218. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rakoczy, H., Tomasello, M., & Striano, T. (2004). Young children know that trying is not pretending: A test of the ‘behaving-as-if’ construal of children’s early concept of pretense. Developmental Psychology , 40(3), 388–399. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Raskin, V. (1985). Semantic Mechanisms of Humor . Dordrecht: Reidel.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Recchia, H.E., Howe, N., Ross, H.S., & Alexander, S. (2010). Children’s understanding and production of verbal irony in family conversations. British Journal of Developmental Psychology , 28(2), 255–274. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Reddy, V. (2001). Infant clowns : The interpersonal creation of humor in infancy. Enfance , 53(3), 247–256. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Reddy, V., Williams, E., & Vaughan, A. (2001). Sharing laughter: The humor of pre-school children with down syndrome. Down Syndrome: Research & Practice , 7(3), 125–128. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ruch, W. (2005). Will the real relationship between facial expression and affective experience please stand up? the case of exhilaration. In P. Ekman, E.L. Rosenberg, P. Ekman & E.L. Rosenberg (Eds.), What the Face Reveals: Basic and Applied Studies of Spontaneous Expression Using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS, 2nd ed.) (pp. 89–111). Oxford: OUP. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Samson, A.C., & Hegenloh, M. (2010). Stimulus characteristics affect humor processing in individuals with asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 40(4), 438–447. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sanford, S., & Eder, D. (1984). Adolescent humor during peer interaction. Social Psychology Quarterly , 47(3), 235–243. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shultz, T.R. (1974). Development of the appreciation of riddles. Child Development , 45(1), 100–105. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (1976). A cognitive-developmental analysis of humor. In A.J. Chapman, H.C. Foot, A.J. Chapman & H.C. Foot (Eds.), Humor and Laughter: Theory, Research, and Applications (pp. 11–36). Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sinnott, J.D., & Ross, B.M. (1976). Comparison of aggression and incongruity as factors in children’s judgments of humor. Journal of Genetic Psychology , 128(2), 241–249. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Socha, T.J., & Kelly, B. (1994). Children making ‘fun’: Humorous communication, impression management, and moral development. Child Study Journal , 24(3), 237–252.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sperber, D., & Wilson, D. (1981). Pragmatics. Cognition , 10(1–3), 281–286. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (1995). Relevance Communication & Cognition . Blackwell: Oxford.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sroufe, L.A., & Wunsch, J.P. (1972). The development of laughter in the first year of life. Child Development , 43(4), 1326–1344. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
St. James, P.J., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (1994). An observational study of humor in autism and down syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 24(5), 603–617. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sullivan, K., Winner, E., & Hopfield, N. (1995). How children tell a lie from a joke: The role of second-order mental state attributions. British Journal of Developmental Psychology , 13(2), 191–204. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vernon, P.A., Martin, R.A., Schermer, J.A., Cherkas, L.F., & Spector, T.D. (2008). Genetic and environmental contributions to humor styles: A replication study. Twin Research and Human Genetics , 11(1), 44–47. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vernon, P.A., Martin, R.A., Schermer, J.A., & Mackie, A. (2008). A behavioral genetic investigation of humor styles and their correlations with the big-5 personality dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences , 44(5), 1116–1125. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wilson, D., & Sperber, D. (1992). On verbal irony. Lingua , 87(1–2), 53–76. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wilson, G.D., Rust, J., & Kasriel, J. (1977). Genetic and family origins of humor preferences: A twin study. Psychological Reports , 41(2), 659–660. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yuill, N. (2007). Visiting joke city: How can talking about jokes foster metalinguistic awareness in poor comprehenders?In D.S. McNamara (Ed.), Reading Comprehension Strategies: Theories, Interventions, and Technologies (pp. 325–345). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2009). The relation between ambiguity understanding and metalinguistic discussion of joking riddles in good and poor comprehenders: Potential for intervention and possible processes of change. First Language , 29(1), 65–79. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yus, F. (2003). Humor and the search for relevance. Journal of Pragmatics , 35(9), 1295–1331. DOI: Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (11)

Cited by 11 other publications

Dionne, Marylène, Émilie Lamarre, Farha Najah Hussain, Marylène Dionne, Émilie Lamarre, Farha Najah Hussain, Natacha Trudeau & Stefano Rezzonicco
2024. Outils cliniques pour évaluer les habiletés pragmatiques chez les enfants : perspective d’inclusivité culturelle. Éla. Études de linguistique appliquée N° 210:2 ► pp. 215 ff. DOI logo
Osisanwo, Ayo & Modupe Agunbiade
2024. Beyond academic discourse: practs of humour in departmental chatrooms of selected Federal University students in Southwest Nigeria. African Identities ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Leroy-Collombel, Marie & Aliyah Morgenstern
2023. Les racines de l’humour langagier chez l’enfant : au croisement des compétences cognitives, linguistiques et socio-culturelles. Langage et société N° 180:3 ► pp. 35 ff. DOI logo
Esseily, Rana & Lauriane Rat‐Fischer
2022. Humor in Infants: Development and Implications in Learning. In Emotional Processes in Learning Situations, ► pp. 21 ff. DOI logo
Mireault, Gina
2022. The Social, Cognitive, and Affective Power of Humor in Infancy. In The Oxford Handbook of Emotional Development, ► pp. 188 ff. DOI logo
Cochrane, Tom
2021. The Aesthetic Value of the World, DOI logo
Park, Chaewon, Yoonseob Lim, Jongsuk Choi & Jee Eun Sung
2021. Changes in linguistic behaviors based on smart speaker task performance and pragmatic skills in multiple turn-taking interactions. Intelligent Service Robotics 14:3 ► pp. 357 ff. DOI logo
Levey, Sandra & Joseph Agius
2019. Humour Processing. The Factors that Play a Role in Understanding Humour. Forum Lingwistyczne :6 ► pp. 159 ff. DOI logo
Benedito, Caroline de Macedo, Stephanie Cristine Nogueira & Débora de Hollanda Souza
2018. QUAL É A GRAÇA?: HUMOR E TEORIA DA MENTE EM DESENVOLVIMENTO. Psicologia em Estudo 23 DOI logo
Esseily, Rana, Lauriane Rat-Fischer, Eszter Somogyi, Kevin John O'Regan & Jacqueline Fagard
2016. Humour production may enhance observational learning of a new tool-use action in 18-month-old infants. Cognition and Emotion 30:4 ► pp. 817 ff. DOI logo
Mireault, Gina C. & Vasudevi Reddy
2016. The Development of Humor. In Humor in Infants [SpringerBriefs in Psychology, ], ► pp. 11 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 6 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue