Meaning and Humour

by Andrew Goatly

Book Overview

How are humorous meanings generated and interpreted? Understanding a joke involves knowledge of the language code (a matter mostly of semantics) and background knowledge necessary for making the inferences to get the joke (a matter of pragmatics). This book introduces and critiques a wide range of semantic and pragmatic theories in relation to humour, such as systemic functional linguistics, speech acts, politeness and relevance theory, emphasising...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521181062
• ISBN13: 9780521181068
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"