1. by Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen
Humor Theories
by Don L. F. Nilsen and
Alleen Pace Nilsen

2. WHIMSY

3. Whimsical Don and Alleen

6. THE NATURE OF HUMOR FEATURES = CHARACTERISTICS
FUNCTIONS = THE PURPOSE(S)
SUBJECTS = THE TOPIC(S)

7. AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF HUMOR IS INCONGRUITY AND INCONGRUITY RES0LUTION
Consider an umbrella in a severe rain and wind storm.
We feel tension until we put things right—at least in our mind’s eye—as with the kitten on the next slide.

8. Machinification: Monorail LOL Cat

9. Other Features of Humor
Ambiguity
Exaggeration
Understatement
Hostility
Incongruity or Irony
Situation-Insight
Sudden Insight
Superiority
Surprise or Shock
Tension and Relief
A Trick or Twist
Word Play
Visual Imagery

10. Metaphor: “Pool Table”
Features:
Ambiguity
Sudden Insight
Surprise
Visual Imagery
Word Play

11. Pun: “Eye Pod” Features Ambiguity Incongruity Surprise Visual Imagery
Word Play

12. A century ago, philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that an important feature of humor was laughing at those we feel are inferior to us. This was known as the “Superiority Theory.”
Later philosophers, including Frances Hutcheson, argue that what we are really laughing about is incongruity.
We do not go to asylums to laugh at the “inferior” beings, nor do we laugh at animals unless they resemble human beings.
We laugh at someone who slips on a banana peel not because we feel superior, but because of the incongruity between our expectations and the sudden insight.

13. “The Rule of Three” is another common feature of humor illustrated in this cartoon.

14. Another Rule of Three Joke

15. Incongruity and Incongruity Resolution

16. Dog-Related Incongruity and Incongruity Resulution

17. Functions of Humor PSYCHOLOGICAL INTELLECTUAL To amuse
To establish superiority
To gain control
To persuade
To save face
To test limits
To inbond/outbond
INTELLECTUAL
To amuse
To teach
To make connections
To compare two scripts—one metaphorical, one straight-forward

18. An Important Literary Function relates to Double Entendre.
“The text of a joke is always fully or in part compatible with two distinct scripts and the two scripts are opposed to each other in a special way.”
“The punch line triggers the switch from the one script to the other by making the hearer backtrack and realize that a different interpretation [of the joke] was possible from the very beginning.”
Attardo and Raskin [1991] 308

19. A Real-Life Example of the Usefulness of Two Scripts

20. Accidental humor occurs when the creator and the receiver have different scripts in mind.

21. The impossibility in this picture causes tension, until we realize that it is a joke.

22. The Function of Disparaging Oneself.
Self-disparagement humor illustrates how it is not always easy to recognize the functions of humor. On the surface, it appears to be humbling oneself, but oftentimes the mock-humility really puts the speaker in a position of power as in these commercials:
Terminex Pest Control: “When you think of pests, think of us.”
Twist Lemon-Menthol Cigarettes: “Our new menthol is a lemon.”

23. Champion International Trend Carpet: “Eight million people walked all over us. And they don’t even know our name.”
Quaker Oats as a diet food: “Quaker Oats: Breakfast of losers.”
Simmons bunk beds: “Simmons beds are a lot of bunk.”

24. Educators Use Humor To:
Relax Students
Teach Facts
Argue and Persuade
Teach Vocabulary Concepts
Teach Careful Observation
Model Problem Solving

25. This Egg-to-Bird picture first causes tension, followed by a smile of relief as we “catch on.”

26. Real vs. Unreal This is an amusing lesson in careful observation.
What are the clues that it is a painting?
Were such paintings precursors to today’s PhotoShop fun?

27. JONATHAN WINTERS--STICK PROP:

28. SUBJECTS OF HUMOR
The subjects we joke about are the very subjects that we hesitate to talk about in real life. To test out the attitudes of new friends, we often send up “trial balloons” disguised as jokes.
Ethnic Identification
Politics
Sexual Roles and Scatology
Occupations
Religion and Belief Systems

29. What subjects do the two fish shapes on this car speak to?

30. Jokes Reveal Current Areas of Social Discomfort
OLD TABOOS
Vulgarities
Swear Words
Body Parts
Sex
Religion
Obscenities
NEW TABOOS
Lack of Patriotism
GLBTQ Issues
Disabilities
Ethnicities
Old People

31. Hot Potato Humor—Based on Metaphors

32. The epiphany comes in this political joke with the explanation that the maple leaf design is a silhouette of Jack and Jacque arguing over English vs. French.

33. Humor Theory: The Sciences vs. The Humanities

35. Hate Speech Vs. Humor
The subject matter that people choose to joke about goes a long ways in determining whether they are using humor as release of moderate levels of discomfort, or whether they are really engaging in “hate-speech” disguised as humor.
The important question to ask is whether the humor is used to weaken the target or strengthen the target.

36. In conclusion Here are two paradigm Shifts