A Relevance Theoretic Analysis of Verbal Humor in The Big Bang Theory.docVIP

A Relevance Theoretic Analysis of Verbal Humor in The Big Bang Theory 　　Abstract 　　Relevance theory proposes a hypothesis of relevance in human communication. Human communication is an ostensive-inferential process， in which the hearer tries to seek the intended relevance by selecting different context assumptions. It is applicable to humor study. This paper takes the sitcom The Big Bang Theory as a case study. By analyzing some verbal humor examples within this framework， it proves that humor comes from the contrast between maximal relevance and optimal relevance. 　　Key words： Relevance theory； Verbal humor； The Big Bang Theory 　　INTRODUCTION 　　As a special kind of human communication， humor is always welcomed by people. No one can resist its power， because it can bring happiness and pleasant feeling to a person in depression； it can sooth a sad heart and give people a comfortable feeling. In a sense， humor is a way to a happy and colorful life. Since it plays an indispensable role in human communication， humor has been studied from different disciplinary viewpoints including philosophy， psychology， sociology， literature， rhetoric， linguistics and so on. With the development of humor study， the linguistic perspective is becoming the mainstream of thoughts because it is more applicable and more systematic. In this paper， a pragmatic theory， relevance theory will be employed in studying the creation and appreciation of humor. The theory is developed on the basis of communication and cognition. Although Relevance theory is not specially designed to study humor， it has been proved a very efficient framework to study humor， a special kind of communication. 　　American situation comedy is gaining on popularity in China， especially among young people. The recent hit series The Big Bang Theory will be taken as data source in this humor study. 　　The study of the verbal humor in sitcoms has both theoretical and practical values. Theoretically， it will enrich humor study