Semantic Approach to Verbal Humor Across Cultural Barriers in Comic TV Shows

Abstract

This research paper aims to approach verbal techniques of humor creation in comic TV shows. Comedians usually play with words and expressions to create various readings. The various readings are the basis of humorous incongruity. Following Raskin’s (1985) Semantic Script Theory of Humour (SSTH), the research paper’s approach is semantic, aiming to analyze linguistically how comedians joke verbally in front of an audience in comic TV shows. The research paper also sheds light on whether or not semantic sense relations, especially homonymy and polysemy, are the basic techniques of verbal incongruity. Besides, figurative language and parody are approached to show to what extent they are creating elements of humor in comic TV shows. Cultural barriers are put into consideration throughout the analysis via the role of cultural literacy between the comedians and the audience. Consequently, the contribution of the research paper is the semantic approach via a qualitative framework to analyze techniques of verbal humor in addition to the role of culture in comic TV shows.