中文冷笑話之語言分析

A Linguistic Analysis of Mandarin Cold Jokes

洪慧如(Stephanie Hui-Ru Hong)

指導教授 ： 張妙霞

國立臺灣師範大學/文學院/英語學系/碩士(2002年)

摘要

中文摘要
冷笑話和傳統笑話最大的不同在於他們所運用的幽默類型。依據本研究所收集的笑話，發現冷笑話所運用的幽默類型有次級幽默、荒謬幽默、及失諧─解困型幽默。其中荒謬型幽默又可細分為：部分解困型幽默、無解困型幽默、及產生新失諧型幽默。上述這些冷笑話幽默類型中，只有失諧─解困型幽默和部分解困型幽默運用在傳統笑話中。
即使冷笑話和傳統笑話都有運用到失諧─解困型幽默，這一類型的冷笑話比傳統笑話佔有較高的比例談及有關性或是其他粗俗的話題。另外，這一類型的冷笑話也廣泛地運用語言模糊性。既然有關性或是其他粗俗的話題常被社會大眾視為禁忌話題，大量的笑話談及這些話題容易造「冷」效果。同樣地，既然語言是規則化的系統，經常性地破壞語言規則也可能不會營造出笑果。
雖然冷笑話和傳統笑話都有運用到部分解困型幽默，這類型的冷笑話之所以被認為「冷」乃在於這些笑話描述無生命的物體有人類般的行為；這種情況在現實中非常不可能發生。
本研究的研究重點則是試著以語言學的觀點來探討上述冷笑話的幽默類型為何「冷」或不好笑的原因可能是因為它們違反了部分的笑話準則。於是本研究以賴斯金的主要假設及吉歐拉的標準笑話三要件為測試基準，結果發現除了失諧─解困型幽默和部分解困型幽默外，其他冷笑話的幽默類型都違反了賴斯金和吉歐拉對標準笑話所提出的基本原則。
總而言之，冷笑話具有幾點特色。第一，冷笑話大量談及禁忌話題。第二，冷笑話廣泛運用語言模糊性。第三，冷笑話所運用的幽默類型大都違反了某些標準笑話的準則。
上述這些冷笑話的特色可能存在著一些涵義。這些冷笑話的特色似乎是反映了現代人在社會和心理上的狀態：現代人正試著去打破規範，不論這規範是有關於社會的禁忌，語言或是幽默。冷笑話因此不只是一種新興的笑話類型，同時也反映了現代人的社會和心理狀態。

關鍵字

冷笑話

並列摘要

ABSTRACT
Cold jokes and traditional jokes differ in the types of humor they exploit. According to the data collected in the present study, cold jokes are found to make use of several types of humor: Metahumor, Nonsense Humor, and Incongruity-Resolution Humor. The Nonsense Humor in cold jokes can be further classified into three subtypes—Partial Resolution, No Resolution, and Creating New Incongruity. Among these types of humor in cold jokes, only the humor of Incongruity-Resolution and Partial Resolution are employed in traditional jokes.
Although Incongruity-Resolution Humor is exploited in both traditional jokes and cold jokes, cold jokes cover a higher percentage of sexual or other vulgar topics than traditional jokes. In addition, linguistic ambiguity is extensively employed in this class of cold jokes. As sexual or other vulgar topics are usually considered taboos by the society, large number of jokes addressing these topics tend to strike one as “cold". The same is also true of linguistic ambiguity. Since language is a rule-governed system, frequently breaking the linguistic rule may not evoke humor.
While the humor of Partial Resolution is employed in both traditional jokes and cold jokes, the cold jokes employing Partial Resolution are perceived as “cold” in that these jokes depict inanimate entities behaving like humans; the situation is very improbable in reality.
From a linguistic perspective, this study aims to explore the reason why the types of humor in cold jokes are perceived as “cold” or unfunny: they may violate certain rules of well-formed jokes. To see whether these cold jokes abide by the rules of well-formed jokes, two filters are used: Raskin’s Main Hypothesis and Giora’s three conditions for joke well-formedness. The result shows that exceptthe humor of Incongruity-Resolution and Partial Resolution, other types of humor in cold jokes violate to a great extent the requirements posited by Raskin and Giora.
To sum up, cold jokes can be characterized in several ways. First, cold jokes cover a large number of taboo topics (i.e. sexual or other vulgar topics). Second,linguistic ambiguity is widely exploited in cold jokes. Third, most of the humor types in cold jokes violate certain rules of well-formed or funny jokes.
The above characteristics of cold jokes may have some implications. They seem to reflect the social and psychological state of modern people: they are trying to break the norm, be it related to taboos, language or humor. Cold jokes thus are not only a newly arising joke type, but also a reflection of the social and psychological state of modern people.

參考文獻

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