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УДК 811
ЮМОР В АНГЛИЙСКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ Е. М. Терешина, Н. Ю. Костина
HUMOUR IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE E. M. Teryoshina, N. Y. Kostina
Аннотация. В данной статье рассматриваются понятие юмора как такового, его роль в жизни общества, его функции, проблема определения юмора (исследование ведется на материале английского языка), особенности английского юмора: его черты и составляющие. Анализируются причины большей потребности британского общества в юморе по сравнению с другими нациями.
Ключевые слова: юмор, комическое, пародия, сатира, социальные функции юмора, психологический эффект юмора.
Abstract. In this article the notions of humour, its role in the life of the society, its functions and the problem of its definition are investigated. The material of the English language is used for the research. Some peculiarities of the English humour (its traits and constituent parts) are studied; the reasons why the British have a stronger need of humour in comparison to other nations are analysed.
Key words: humour, comic, parody, satire, social functions of humour, psychological effects of humour.
Humour is a very complicated phenomenon which embraces many aspects of people's life. Humuor is an essential condition for the normal functioning of the society, an indispensable part of human life and communication, an important element of creative work and education. Humour provides an effective means of communicating a wide range of ideas, feelings and opinions [1]. Humour is therapeutic: it serves as a mechanism for struggling against daily stressors [2] and has positive effects on the immune [3] and central nervous [3] systems. It is a key element in the human nature, it is considered to be a defining human attribute [4]. In fact it is so highly valued that very few people can admit their having a lack of a sense of humour [5, 6].
Though it is commonplace in everyday life, humour seems to be rather elusive as a theoretical concept. However, this has not prevented scholars of various disciplines, ranging from psychology to sociology to pedagogy to linguistics, from investigating the topic of humour, which has resulted in «epistemological hairsplit-ting» [7]. The problems of defining humour are so difficult that several scholars have doubted that an exhaustive definition of humour could be formulated [7].
One of the difficulties in defining humour lies in the fact that the terminology describing it is not explicit. Some scholars, such as Schmidt-Hidding [2], have attempted to clarify the issue by suggesing semantic maps of humour but various others could also be formulated.
The definition of humour to a great degree depends on the purpose for which it is used. As Attardo [7] points out, some linguists have often been satisfied with
broad definitions, believing that whatever evokes laughter is humour. However, laughter is not necessarily a condition for humour. So, Attardo [7] considers Ker-brat-Orecchioni's [8] pragmatic definition of humour to be more fruitful. To his mind, humour is whatever is intended to be funny, even if it might not always be perceived or interpreted as such. This definition has some problems, as it's rather difficult to measure intention, but it is useful because it regards humour as a fundamentally social phenomenon, moreover, humour is presented as a phenomenon, manifestations of which can vary greatly in different cultures. That's why, for the purposes of this study, we have chosen to use «humour» as a generic term to cover any phenomena with humour-inducing potential.
Humour is a phenomenon which is common to all people on the one hand and deeply national on the other. Every nation has its own specific sense of humour which can be treated as a national trait, serving to differentiate between different peoples. Common laws and tendencies of the humorous picture of the world are expressed in it, but this common thing is influenced by social, cultural, physiological and other features of each nation.
Humor is a very important part of the English national character and an extremely essential element of the national identity. The British are proud of their sense of humor and not without reason consider it their national wealth. They treat it very tenderly and it's painful for them when foreigners express their doubt about the English sense of humour. You may question any other British trait traditionally attributed to their nature: courtesy, ingenuity, tolerance, but nothing will hurt their national pride so much as a statement about their lack of humor.
It certainly seems to be true that the British do have a lot of humour. This can be proved by the incredible number of English humorous films, publications and radio comedy shows. Humour is widespread in their society, as well as in their culture. The use of humour is very important in England. And because the British like the comic and amusing so much, they have developed various distinctive types of humour, much of it is characterized by linguistic creativity and centred around social norms.
Since so much English humour is characterised by inventiveness rather than the formal joke, word-play is of great importance. This can be shown if we examine the script of almost any vintage BBC radio comedy programme, such as Round the Horne or The Goon Show. The latter takes word-play to ridiculous extremes; language itself is changed into meaningless noises that are still funny, so that the properties of words themselves are used for comic effect.
Other types of nonsense are also prominent in English humour, especially nonsense based on a subversion of the rules of logic. This strand stretches from Edward Lear to the comedy of Monty Python. Let's take an example from the Goons, the British get a lot of this kind of thing:
Crun: What do you, what? What is itMin?
Bannister: That cat wants to go out.
Crun: What makes you think that, Min?
Bannister: He's just put his hat and coat on. Ooooh... [9].
The fact that cats do not wear hats makes a quite logical statement (if somebody wants to go out, he or she puts a hat on) hilarious. The atmosphere at the Goons' show is devoid of any sense, but they insist on behaving in a manner possessing some strange logic. It reminds one of Lewis Carroll's Through the Look-
ing-Glass, in which the author creates a parallel universe governed by rules which appear ridiculous to the reader, but are entirely logical within their own dimension. The Red Queen's response to Alice when asked why they have to run so fast and yet don't get anywhere is such a case: "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" [10].
The British like to be touched by humour as well as amused by it. Thus, returning to Through the Looking-Glass, the British find the White Knight a supremely funny, mock-heroic character. His continual refrain "It's my own invention" becomes ever more pathetic and comical as failed contraption after failed contraption is revealed and described. The White Knight's sweetness of temper combined with his despondency make him easily the most memorable character in the entire book. There is something ineffably English about him in his eccentricity, melancholy and gentleness.
Perhaps the inherent good nature of most English humour is the reason why it travels so well: other nations with their own sense of humour feel less threatened by it.
The whimsical is an interesting sideline in English humour. The British are the nation that produces nice stories about the adventures of talking animals (the best examples of which, for whimsy, melancholy, and gentleness are A.A. Milne's Pooh books, also Beatrix Potter, Enid Blyton, and the Womble books). The British like humour that charms them. Their appreciation of the whimsical probably arises out of two things: a need to feel cosy and secure, and their love affair with childhood. The British read children's novels evidently for a reason, and most of them never lose their instinct for play. The whimsical reminds them of all that is good about childhood and is completely non-threatening.
Finally, parody is also a very important genre of English humour. Sometimes it seems as if the British were willing to mock at anything, from the monarchy to religion and Shakespeare. The master parodist, the librettist W. S. Gilbert, parodied not only English society in his comic operas, satirising the class system, but culture as well, poking fun at conventional drama and the aesthetic movement of the late nineteenth century [11], while his composer Arthur Sullivan wrote music that is essentially one long parody of Rossini, Wagner, English folk music, Japanese music, and so on [12].
What social functions does humour serve for the English? Some we have already suggested or hinted at. Social interactions often require that a joke or two should be exchanged. Laughing with others serves to relieve tension, perhaps that is why the English do so much of it; they have little tolerance for hostility in relationships, and humour can help to ease these feelings and produce the comfortable state of things. Laughing at a shared problem gives a sense of companionship in difficulty. Humour is frequently used to draw the sting or fear out of any situation. It is also a way of removing embarrassment or ridicule in social situations: their ability to laugh at themselves shows that the British are not egotistical enough to care that they have just made a fool of themselves. Because many English people are fairly sensitive and vulnerable, this use of humour serves as a shield against criticism and loss of self-esteem.
Humour also has some powerful psychological effects. The British identify with humorous characters whose lives seem to consist of farce because the British
themselves refuse to take life too seriously. Many of them suspect that there is no deep meaning to life, and, instead of being frightened by this, they often make it an advantage by finding it funny (in contrast to continental Europeans, who seem to be scared by it). It is a powerful antidote to despair in bad times and a source of pleasure in good times. The English were the only nation during World War II to watch obsessively a weekly comedy programme, which was, of course, It's That Man Again with Tommy Handley. Handley himself, while satirising war-time conditions and even government ministries, became one of the best-loved personalities in England [13]. This is instructive, and brings us to another social aspect of humour: the British have always loved people who can make them laugh. The British have a high regard for those who, by making them laugh at their own hardships and circumstances, lighten their load a little.
A question arises out of all this: why are the British more addicted to humour than other nations? We think the answer lies partly in English history and partly in the English character and English society. When you compare English history with Continental history you are struck immediately by some major overall differences. To begin with, there has been no civil war in England for centuries, not since the era of Roundheads and Cavaliers, so the idea that hordes of English people might kill each other in the streets is unthinkable and taboo to most of them. The "Massacre of Peterloo" in a field in Manchester in 1819 is still remembered with horror, although only 11-15 people were killed - a tiny number indeed compared with the thousands who died during the "June Days" of the French Revolution of 1848. Thus the English have not experienced horror and bloodshed in their own country compared with what other European peoples have suffered. Maybe that's why there is a sense of cynicism that can be plainly seen in Continental culture, in novels such as Camus' The Outsider or the work of Thomas Mann. A lack of a violent domestic history is probably essential to the development of a good-natured national sense of humour.
Another thing that is striking about English history is England's gradual progress towards a liberal democracy, with fairly steady gains for individual rights. This is in marked contrast to other nations in Europe, in which only the change of administration brought some fruit. The sense that their individual rights are protected saves them from political extremism, fear, and sullenness, which are opposed to English humour which tends to be comfortable, cheerful and forgiving. The British know that their rights are secure, which reduces worry and allows us to see the humour in life.
The English character also matters. As a group the British are fairly imaginative and aware, and this means that they are able to see and seek out the funny aspects of things that are not always obvious. The English society, with its class system and regional differences, also provides rich opportunities for character-based comedy. It is noticeable that a substantial amount of English humour is still class-based. Much of it is dependent on the contrasts, real or imagined, between people of different classes or different regions, but most especially on the contrasts between different classes.
Whatever the reasons for their obsession with humour are, no one can deny that it is a source of strength. Along with tea and gardening, it is one of their great comforters. Though life itself may not mean much, from the British point of view a good deal of it is funny. Humour is like a drug to many of them; the Englishmen
can't get enough of it, and they are very inventive in creating it. Their sense of
humour has been one of their most enduring characteristics, precisely because the
British have found it so helpful in hard times.
List of reference links
1. Brownell, H. H. Neuropsychological insights into humour / H. H. Brownell, H. Gardner. Laughing matters : a serious look at humour. - N.Y.: Wiley; 1988. - P. 17-34.
2. Lefcourt, H. M. Humour and life stress: antidote to adversity / H. M. Lefcourt, R. A. Martin. - N.Y.: Springer-Verlag; 1986.
3. Lefcourt H. M., Davidson-Katz K., Kueneman K. Humor and immune-system functioning / H. M. Lefcourt, K. Davidson-Katz, K. Kueneman // Humor. - 1990. - N° 3. -P. 305-21.
4. Nahemow, L. Humor as a data base for the study of aging / L. Nahemow, K. A. McCluskey-Fawcett, P. E. McGhee // Humor and aging. Orlando (FL): Academic Press. - 1986. P. 3-26.
5. Omwake, L. A study of sense of humor: its relation to sex, age and personal characteristics / L. Omwake // J Appl Psychol. - 1937. - № 21. - P. 688-704.
6. Allport, G. W. Pattern and growth in personality / G. W. Allport. - N.Y.: Holt, Rine-hart and Winston, 1961.
7. Attardo, Salvatore. Linguistic Theories of Humor / Salvatore Attardo. Berlin ; N.Y. Mouton de Gruyter, 1994.
8. Kerbrat-Orecchioni, C. Les usages comiques de l'analogie / C. Kerbrat-Orecchioni. Folia Linguistica. - 1981. - № 15 (1-2). - P. 163-183.
9. URL: http://www.thegoonshow.net/scripts_show.asp?title=s07e16_the_rent_collectors
10. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Queeris_race
11. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki7W._S._Gilbert
12. URL: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/572930/Sir-Arthur-Sullivan
13. URL: http://www.otrcat.com/its-that-man-again-p-1420.html
Терешина Елизавета Михайловна студентка, Педагогический институт им. В. Г. Белинского, Пензенский государственный университет E-mail: [email protected]
Костина Наталья Юрьевна
кандидат филологических наук, доцент, кафедра английского языка и методики преподавания английского языка, Педагогический институт им. В. Г. Белинского, Пензенский государственный университет
E-mail: [email protected]
Teryoshina Elizaveta Mikhailovna
Student, foreign languages faculty,
Pedagogical Institute named
after V. G. Belinsky, Penza State University
Kostina Natalia Yurievna
Candidate of philological sciences, assistant
professor, sub-department
of English language and methods
of teaching English, Pedagogical
Institute named after V. G. Belinsky,
Penza State University
УДК 811 Терешина, Е. М.
Humour in the english language / Е. М. Терешина, Н. Ю. Костина // Модели, системы, сети в экономике, технике, природе и обществе. - 2013. - № 1 (5). - С. 202-206.
