Philippine E-Journals

Cultural Dimensions of Verbal Humor in American and Chinese Sitcoms

Liang Changchao

Discipline: English Language

 

Abstract:

This paper examines the linguistic and cultural dimensions of verbal humor in American and Chinese sitcoms, focusing on "Growing Pains" and "Home with Kids." Situational comedies (sitcoms) serve as a platform to explore the manifestation of culture through humor, employing Grice’s conversational maxims and Politeness Principles. The study analyzes 200 utterances from these sitcoms, which were instrumental in generating humor or laughter. The findings reveal distinct cultural approaches to humor. The American sitcom "Growing Pains" predominantly features a tendency to deliver false statements without factual backing, emphasizing humor over reality. This reflects an American cultural orientation towards verbosity and extravagance in dialogue. Conversely, "Home with Kids," the Chinese sitcom, indicates a subtle shift from the traditional norms of modesty and humility, typical in Chinese culture. These results highlight how cultural norms and orientations are deliberately flouted in sitcoms to create humor. The study contributes to understanding the convergence and divergence in humor expression between American and Chinese cultures. Furthermore, it suggests future research avenues, including the analysis of violations of conversational and politeness principles in emerging television genres and the exploration of humor in a multimodal environment.