Multidimensional Research Of Verbal Humor

Humor is man's unique quality, ability and means of communication, and it is a distinctinctive characteristic of humanity as well. Most humors are achieved and delivered by means of language. However, currently no major theory of humor can give a convictive and systematic explanation about "what is a humor, why it is a humor, how humor works, when humor works, and to whom humor works" in discourses. Thus, it is of great value and significance both in linguistic theory and humor application to probe multidimensionally into this cross-disciplinary subject.This dissertation is somewhat a language-based multidimensional survey of humor from the perspectives of language, logic, context, function and cognitive mechanism etc. It begins with the detailed illustrations of linguistic and logic variations of humor discourses, along with the analysis of the interactions of social and cultural factors, trying to give a detailed description of how humor works in the demensions of language and logic, establish a preliminary formal system of verbal humor. Based on these descriptions, it then depicts the role that context plays in the construction and restriction of humrous meaning under the guideline of cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics. Following the study of humor corpus, the classic and modern humor theories are reanalyzed and enriched, and a new online cognitive model of humor is set up in light of MST and CBT. The framework of the dissertation is as follows:Chapter 1 is an introduction, presenting the genesis and significance of this study, and sets out the outline of the content, method and the layout of this dissertation.Chapter 2 dates back the origin and development of the concept of humor, gives a panoramic survey of humor study (mainly linguistically related) both at home and abroad, pointing out the present insufficiency and limitation in existence.Chapter 3 fully discusses the linguistic facts of humor in the order of pronunciation, lexis, syntax, text, character (or letter), giving a detailed exhibition of humor in the form of language variations.Chapter 4 examines the logic mechanism in humor, mainly focusing on the use that humors make of concepts, judgments, inferences and basic laws in traditional formal logic. Actually it is an exploration of humor rules in the invisible mental level.Chapter 5 explains how humor and its context interact. Dynamic cognitive context and its characteristics, the crucial influence and dynamic construction of context in the making of humor, are covered with a stress on the constraints of social and cultural context elements. In addition, "sex jokes" and aggressive humors are fully discussed in the background of Psychoanalysis of Freud and social context.Based on the above study, chapter 6 undertakes a critical analysis of the online cognitive mechanism of humor. The most influential classic and current cognitive theories regarding verbal humor are revisited, and drawing upon these theories and the latest CBT, this dissertation puts forth an improved new cognitive model for the interpretation of verbal humors. Besides, the issues of cooperation and motivation of humor are examined. It is argued that modulation of linguistic elements, management of logic rules, manipulation of contexts, cognitive processing and pursuit of aesthetics are all requisites for the production of humor.Chapter 7 is a conclusion, summing up the whole dissertation, pointing out the innovation and insufficiency of this study, and making a speculation of the direction and prospect for further humor research.