《英语幽默语用浅析文献综述》.docVIP

成 都 理 工 大 学 学生毕业设计（论文）文献综述报告 学生姓名：张露 学号：200811010418 专业名称：英语 文献综述题目：A Pragmatic Analysis of English Humor Literature Review 《英语幽默语用浅析文献综述》 引用文献：中文 6篇；英文9　篇；其它语种 0　 篇 其中期刊：3种；专著12本；其它： 0种 引用文献时间跨度：1962 ～ 2006 年 指导教师审阅签名： 综述报告正文： A Pragmatic Analysis of English Humor Literature Review Different researches of humor appear in different periods. Traditionally, there exist three dominant theories: Superiority Theory, Release Theory and Incongruity Theory. Currently, the Script-based Semantic Theory, General Theory, and Audience-based Theory have held people’s attention. In the following, this paper will make a detailed account of the six theories mentioned above. 1. Traditional Theories on Humor 1.1 Superiority Theory Superiority theory, which is also called degradation, disparagement and derision theory, has a long history. It derives from Aristotle’s (384-322 BC) view that comedy is based on an imitation of men worse than the average, of people who are ridiculous, which accounts for the pleasure one feels when the less fortunate and less desirable figures are laughed at. Though it deals with the nature of comedy, it can also be applied to humor, because in the broad sense the two are interchangeable though comedy is, technically speaking, a literary form (Berger, 1993). Plato (427-347BC) suggests that all humor can be explained by this theory. People laugh whenever someone or something is degraded, so they can feel themselves superior. Later, Thomas Hobbes develops their views in that laughter bears on one’s social status and superiority over one’s peers. He (1651) explains that humans are in constant competitions with each other, and looking for shortcomings of other persons. Laughing at the inferior builds our self-confidence and makes us feel superior. Because of their emphasis on the interpersonal and social aspect of humor, superiority theories are of considerable interest to the sociolinguists of humor. However, this theor