A Pragmatic Analysis Of The Optimal Relevance In Humor In The Ellen Show

Humor is a ubiquitous phenomenon in human society.It is easy to see humor everywhere,in daily communication,books and magazines,short plays,movies,TV programs,etc.Humor plays an important part in human communication.It can avoid embarrassment,ease a tense situation,turn conflict to laughter,create a harmonious and relaxing atmosphere for communication.Scholars have studied humor from different fields.This thesis studies humor in the framework of Relevance Theory.Recent years have witnessed the taking off of the television talk show programs both in China and western countries.Ellen Show is one of the most popular talk shows in America currently,which is broadcast in many countries around the world.It is hosted by Ellen in the form of celebrity interviewing.The relaxing atmosphere and the humorous style of the host are the main reasons of its popularity.This thesis centers on the humorous utterances in Ellen Show,trying to explain the cognitive process of humor generation and comprehension from the perspective of optimal relevance in Relevance Theory.The tentative study explores the humor in Ellen Show in a qualitative method.This thesis employs examples in Season 13 of Ellen Show to analyze how the audience achieve humorous effect through the acquiring of optimal relevance.The study shows that Relevance Theory isapplicable to explain the humor in Ellen Show.Speech in Ellen Show is an ostensive-inferential process in which the speaker utters some words as a piece of evidence for the hearer to infer the intended meaning of the speaker.Humorous effect is obtained in search of optimal relevance,the process of which is not a plain way.Normally,the audience will filter the surface meaning and grasp the speaker’s intended meaning.Extra efforts are made to acquire the optimal relevance and humor arises.And this thesis also expounds the failure of humor in Ellen Show.With an overall understanding of humor in a popular talk show,this thesis attempts to improve the ability of creating and appreciating humor and make it an advantage in daily life.