The Study Of English Verbal Humor From The Perspective Of Ambiguity

Humor is a special language phenomenon, commonly existing in natural languages. It is the essence and important part of language. The thesis aims to study English verbal humor from the perspective of ambiguity.The thesis consists of six parts. Chapter One introduces the general description, the framework and the significance of the thesis. Chapter Two is the literature review. The definition, function, classification, three traditional theories and modern linguistic theories of humor will be illustrated in this chapter. Traditional theories include Superiority theory from the social-behavioral perspective, Relief theory from psychoanalytical perspective and Incongruity theory from cognitive psychological perspective. Modern linguistic theories are Semantic Script Theory of Humor and General Theory of Verbal Humor. Chapter Three is the theoretical foundation and methodology of the thesis. The definition, characteristics---divisibility, dependence and hierarchy---and classification of ambiguity will be presented in this part. Objective of the study, data-analysis and methods of analysis will also be illustrated. Chapter Four is the main body of the thesis. The research question to be addressed is"what levels of ambiguity cause verbal humor in English". The data of the English verbal humor collected are first analyzed quantitatively according to the proportion of verbal humor caused by four levels of ambiguity: phonological ambiguity, lexical ambiguity, syntactic ambiguity and pragmatic ambiguity. Then typical cases from each level are explained qualitatively. Chapter Five gives the results and implications of the study. The answer to the research question will be explained in this chapter. The phonological, lexical, syntactic and pragmatic ambiguity can cause English verbal humor. The results have important implications to English teaching, translation and cross-culture communication. Chapter Six is the conclusion which will summarize the whole thesis and point out the limitations on verbal humor study from the perspective of ambiguity.The study is of great significance because, on the one hand, it is helpful to deepen the comprehension of the phenomenon that ambiguity causes verbal humor; on the other hand, it is useful to improve the ability of understanding and appreciation of verbal humor. It is hoped that the study will make contribution to the study of verbal humor.