“We are not amused”. The perception of British humour by British and American English L1 users
Chen, Xuemei and Dewaele, Jean-Marc (2021) “We are not amused”. The perception of British humour by British and American English L1 users. Language and Communication 79 , pp. 147-162. ISSN 02715309.
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Abstract
This empirical study investigates the differences in the appreciation of British humour by British English and American English L1 users. A total of 128 British and 95 American English L1 users (with 18 being bi-dialectal—having experiences in the UK) rated the funniness of two short extracts from two British television series and answered an open question on their perceptions. Results indicated that American English L1 users perceived British humour as less funny and were less able to “get” the ironic and sarcastic aspect of British humour than British English L1 users. This study highlights the role of emotion, as both a reaction during humour processing and a prerequisite prior to humour processing. Moreover, length of residence is not found to be related to the appreciation of humour in another dialect in this study.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | British humour, Humour appreciation, Emotion, English L1 users |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication |
| Research Centres and Institutes: | Multilingual and Multicultural Research, Centre for (CMMR) |
| Depositing User: | Jean-Marc Dewaele |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jun 2021 09:22 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Aug 2023 12:51 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/44561 |
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