Constructing Host Identity With Situational Humor In TV Talk Show

Research on the discursive construction of identity has become increasingly prosperous and cross-disciplinary in English-speaking countries these years. Many scholars consider that identity is dynamically constructed in discourse and social practice. Language used in specific contexts plays a critical role in identity construction. Against this background, this study seeks to explore how the host professional identity is constructed with the use of situational humor in host-guest interactions.The data for this study are retrieved from an American renowned TV talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Based on John J. Gumperz’s interactional sociolinguistics, which focuses on dynamic discourse, natural conversation and explanatory analysis of interaction for the understanding of identity construction process, this study mainly answers the following two questions:(1) What are the major genres of situational humor that emerge in the show?(2) How these humorous types contribute to the construction of Ellen DeGeneres’professional identity as a hostess?The result demonstrates that four types of situational humor including teasing, joking about absent celebrities, self-denigration and narrative jokes are frequently used by Ellen to constructively portray herself as a competent hostess in making the guests involved, broaching topics, and creating a relaxing, harmonious and humorous environment. While using these strategies, Ellen constructs such situated identities as listener, controller, participant, questioner and performer which assist in the realization of the hostess’professional identity as competent and effective in her particular working context.In sum, the study of The Ellen DeGeneres Show indicates that the theory of interactional sociolinguistics is appropriate for guiding the analysis of the professional identity construction through the use of situational humor, which theoretically broadens its application. Besides, humor strategies analyzed in this study can inspire other hosts or hostesses to use such strategies appropriately to attract guests’active participation and obtain the audience’s acknowledgment for constructing their professional identity.