Entertaining Humor unit1

Entertaining Humor—What’s Funny?

Donald M. Huffman1

1 The joy of laughing at a funny story is universal, probably as old as language itself. But, what is it that makes a story or a joke funny? 2 As one who has enjoyed humor since I first recognized it, I’ve made an attempt to explain and discuss humor with students in such diverse cultures as Latin America and China. I’ve done some serious thinking about funny stories. It has been a labor of love2!

3 Why is it that several students in a class will fall out of their chairs laughing after I tell a joke while the rest of the students look as if I’ve just read the weather report?3 Obviously some people are more sensitive to humor than others. And, we recognize that some people tell jokes very well while others struggle to say something funny. We’ve all heard people say, “I like jokes, but I can’t tell one well, and I can never remember them.” Some people have a better sense of humor than others just as some people have more musical talent, mathematical talent, etc. than others. A truly funny person has a joke for every occasion, and when one is told, that triggers an entire string of jokes from that person’s memory bank.4 A humorless person is not likely to be the most popular person in a group. It is reasonable to say that the truly humorous individual is not only well liked, but is often the focus of attention in any gathering.

4 Even some animals have a sense of humor. My wife’s mother often visited us for extended stays5. She normally didn’t like dogs, but she fell in love with Blitzen—a female Lab6 we had, and the relationship was mutual. Even when young, Blitzen would tease Grandma by very selectively carrying one of her bedroom slippers into the living room where Grandma sat in her favorite, comfortable chair. Blitzen pranced just beyond the reach of Grandma until Grandma was tempted to leave her chair to get the slipper from Blitzen. When Grandma left her chair, Blitzen would quickly jump into the chair, flashing her Lab smile from sparkling brown eyes which clearly said, “Aha, I fooled you again.” 5 Typical jokes or humorous stories have a three-part anatomy that is easily recognized. First is the SETUP (or setting), next is the BODY (or story line), and these are followed by the PUNCH LINE7 (an unexpected or surprise ending) which will make the joke funny if it contains some humor. Usually all three parts are present, and each must be clearly presented8. It helps if the story/joke teller uses gestures and language which are well known to the audience. 6 Humor, as a form of entertainment, can be analyzed in order to discover what makes a funny story or joke seem funny. Here, for example, are some of the most common types of humor. They range from the most obvious humor to the more subtle types.

7 “SLAP-STICK” is the most obvious humor. Its language is simple, direct, and often makes fun of another person or group. Slap-stick was and is the technique of the stand-up comedian9 and the clown. It appeals to all ages and all cultures. Nearly every English-speaking comedian in this century has used the following joke in one form or another. One man asks another, “Who was that

lady I saw you with last night?” The other replies, “That was no lady, that was my wife.” The humor lies in the fact that the second man is saying that his wife is not a lady. In other words, she is not a refined woman. The joke is no less funny because it is so often used. The audience knows in advance what will be said, because it is classic humor, and any audience values it even more because of its familiarity.

8 Chinese “cross-talk” is a special type of slap-stick in which two Chinese comedians humorously discuss topics such as bureaucrats, family problems, or other personal topics. Cross-talk can be heard anywhere from small village stages to the largest Beijing theatres, and to radio and television. It is clearly a traditional form of humor well understood by Chinese people.

9 A PLAY ON WORDS is not so obvious as slap-stick, but it is funny because of misused or misunderstood language. My favorite example is the story of three elderly gentlemen traveling by train in England. As the train slowed for a stop the first man asked, “Is this Wembley?” “No,” said the second, “It’s Thursday.” “So am I,” said the third man. “Let’s stop for a beer.” We know that older people often do not hear thingsclearly, so the misunderstanding of both Wednesday (for Wembley) and thirsty (for Thursday) makes a nice setup for the punch line delivered by the third man.

10 The famous Chinese cartoonist and humorist Ding Cong is a master of word play. In one of his funny cartoons, a teacher says, “How come10 you completely copied somebody else’s homework?” The young student replies, “I didn’t completely copy it. My name on the page is different.” In another classic Ding Cong cartoon, an irritated father asks, “Tell me, what’s one plus two?” The

son says, “I don’t know.” The impatient father then says, “For example, you, your mother, and I altogether are how many, you idiot?” The son proudly answers, “Three idiots.” Whether these stories are cartoons or jokes, told by a slap-stick comedian or a cross-talking team, they appeal to people everywhere as funny stories because they have a note11 of reality to them, and the unexpected punch line is quite funny.

11 PUNS are even more subtle forms of word play. They use the technique of similar sounding words or alternative meanings of the same word. Puns are thought by some critics to be the lowest form of humor, but Idisagree with this. Puns require more subtle and sophisticated language skills than most humor forms, but even the very young can use them in their simpler forms. For example, the “riddle” or trick question often uses a pun in the setup, the story line, or, more often, the punch line. Puns are the first type of humor I learned, and at about 5 years of age I remember hearing the following riddle. One person asks, “What is black and white and red all over?” The other person usually cannot answer the riddle, so says, “I give up. What is the answer?” The riddler replies, “A newspaper.” This is the obvious answer if one knows that “red” is pronounced the same as “read” in English, but the meanings are clearly different. 12 DOUBLE ENTENDRES (French for double meanings) are special variations of puns in which words or phrases have double meanings. Frequently the two meanings are very different, and one is quite proper while the second is often, but not always, vulgar. I like the somewhat mild story of a school teacher and a principal of a high school who are concerned because some boys and girls have been seen kissing on the school playground. The teacher says to the students, “The

principal and I have decided to stop kissing on the school playground.” Hearing some laughter, she senses her message was not altogether clear, so she adds, “What I mean to say is that there will be no more kissing going on under our noses12.” This clarification, of course, does nothing to correct the first statement and the double meaning of the joke becomes even more laughable. 13

Some professional humorists think too much of today’s humor is not very intelligent or sophisticated. They dislike the suggestive or vulgar language used too frequently, and they feel that most humorists are not very creative. It is true that some of today’s humor is rather shocking, but I don’t think humor is to be blamed for that. Humor is alive and well, and it will persist simply because there are funny things happening every day. Some humorous people see and hear these funny things and are able to make them into funny, entertaining jokes and stories. (1346 words) #aha / / interj. a noise that people make in conversation, for example to acknowledge（承认，告知已收到） something, or to express satisfaction, triumph（胜利，凯旋）, or surprise 啊哈 #anatomy / / n.

the structure of an organization, process, etc. or the way it works 构造 the science dealing with the structure of animals or plants 解剖学 ★bureaucrat / / n. an official who works by fixed （固定的）routine（程序，日常工作） without exercising intelligent judgment（ 判别力,判断）官僚主义者

cartoon / / n.

1) a drawing symbolizing or satirizing（讽刺） some action, subject or person 漫画, 讽刺画

cartoonist / / n. a person who draws cartoons 漫画家

clarification / / n. added information to make something easier to understand 澄清

▲clown / / n. a performer in a circus who wears funny clothes and bright make-up, and does silly things in order to make people laugh 小丑, 丑角

#anatomy / / n.

the structure of an organization, process, etc. or the way it works 构造 the science dealing with the structure of animals or plants 解剖学 ★bureaucrat / / n. an official who works by fixed （固定的）routine（程序，日常工作） without exercising intelligent judgment（ 判别力,判断）官僚主义者

cartoon / / n.

1) a drawing symbolizing or satirizing（讽刺） some action, subject or person 漫画, 讽刺画

cartoonist / / n. a person who draws cartoons 漫画家

clarification / / n. added information to make something easier to understand 澄清

▲clown / / n. a performer in a circus（马戏团） who wears funny clothes and bright make-up（化妆品）, and does silly（愚蠢的） things in order to make people laugh 小丑, 丑角

comedian / / n. someone whose job is to tell jokes and make people laugh 喜剧演员

cross-talk / / n. witty(诙谐的), rapid dialogue, e.g. between two comedians 相声

#double entendre / / n. (French) a word or phrase that may be understood in two different ways 双关语

entertaining / / adj. amusing 有趣的, 令人愉快的 familiarity / / n. good knowledge of something 熟悉

gathering / / n. a group of people meeting together for a particular purpose 聚会

grandma / / n. (informal)grandmother or the mother of your father or mother (外) 祖母

humorist / / n. a person with an active sense of humor, especially one who uses humor skillfully（巧妙地）, as in writing or talking 幽默(作)家, 有敏锐幽默感的人

humorless / / adj. (BrE humourless) too serious and not able to laugh at things that other people think are amusing 缺乏幽默感的 humorous / / adj. amusing; funny 幽默的 ★idiot / / n. a very foolish person 笨蛋，傻瓜

★irritated / / adj. feeling annoyed and impatient about something 恼怒的

laughable / / adj. so stupid as to be funny and not worth serious consideration 荒唐可笑的；有趣的

laughter / / n. the act of laughing or sound of people laughing 笑，笑声

misuse / / v. use something incorrectly or improperly 误用，滥用

n. the use of something in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose 误用，滥用

mutual / / adj.

1) feeling the same emotion, or doing the same thing to or for each other 相互的, 彼此的

2) belonging to or true of two or more people 共同的, 共有的

#prance / / v. walk or move in a spirited manner; dance about 欢跃，欣喜地跳跃

principal / / n. someone in charge of a school or college 校长

adj. first in order of importance 最重要的, 主要的

#pun / / n. an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings, or of words with the same sound but different meanings 双关语（用同音异义词或多义词构成）

▲riddle / / n.

1) a difficult and often amusing question to which one must guess the answer 谜（语）

2) someone or something that is mysterious or confusing 猜不透的人或事 ▲riddler / / n. a person who tells riddles 出谜（语）的人 selectively / / adv. in a selective manner 有选择地 setting / / n.

1) a particular place or type of surroundings where something is located or takes place 环境, 背

景, 布景

2) one of the positions to which the controls of a device such as a cooker or heater can be adjusted (控制装置的)调节点，设定的位置 setup / / n.

an arrangement necessary for a specific activity or purpose（为某活动或目的所做的）准备或铺垫

2) the way in which something is organized, planned or arranged（事物的）结构，体制，机构

slap-stick / / n. humorous acting in which the performers pretend to hit or slap one another using a device made of two pieces of wood to make a sound like a loud slap 打闹剧 （因演员用击板相互追打发出声响而得名） ★sparkling / / adj. shining brightly with points of flashing light 闪闪发光的

string / / n.

1) a series of similar events that happen one after another 一连串，一系列 2) a thin wire or cord used on a musical instrument or a strong thin cord used for fastening and tying things 弦, 线

suggestive / / adj. seeming to suggest something sexual or indecent 使人产生邪念的，挑逗的 ★tease / / v.

1) laugh at； joke about or intentionally annoy 戏弄，取笑

2) pretend to offer you something that you want, especially sex, but then not give it to you 挑逗 ★tempt / / v.

1) try to persuade someone to do something by making it seem attractive 吸引, 引起??的兴趣

2) make someone want to have or do something, even though they know they really should not 引诱, 诱惑

universal / / adj.

1) relating to everyone in the world or everyone in a particular group or society 普遍的, 全体的

2) true or suitable in every situation 通用的 ★vulgar / / adj.

1) indecent; rude; obscene 粗俗的，下流的

2) of or relating to the common people 普通的，一般的

beyond the reach of somebody in a place somebody cannot reach by stretching his arm and hand 在某人伸手够不着的地方

fall in love with somebody begin to love someone 开始爱上某人

flash a smile smile at someone quickly and for a short time 笑容一闪 lie in consist of; involve or be caused by 在于

make an attempt to do something try to do something 努力??, 试图??

▲aristocracy / / n. a class of people in some countries who have a high social rank and special titles such as “duke” or “countess” 贵族 arrest / /

v. seize someone with the authority of the law 逮捕，拘留 n. the act or an example of arresting 逮捕，拘留

2) a small electric light which is powered by batteries and which you can carry in your hand 手电筒 toss / / v.

1) throw lightly, often in a careless way 扔, 抛, 掷

2) throw the coin up into the air and guess which side will land facing up as a way of deciding which of the two things you will do 掷硬币来决定 unicycle / / n. a vehicle that is like a bicycle but has only one wheel 独轮（脚踏）车

▲vengeance / / n. punishment given to someone in return for harm they have done 报复，报仇，复仇

wow / / interj. (informal) used when you feel impressed, pleased or surprised (表示钦佩、欢乐、惊奇等) 哇

back out fail to fulfil (a promise, contract, etc.) 不履行，打退堂鼓，食言

catch on

1) begin to understand or master something 懂得；掌握 2) become popular 流行

fill in do someone’s job or work because they are unable to do it 替代某人的工作

get through finish or complete something especially when it is difficult 干完，完成

start over start doing something again from the beginning, especially because you want to do it better 从头开始

try something out test something in order to see how useful or effective it is or what it is like 试用，试验, 考验

with a vengeance (informal) with great force or more effort than before 激烈地，猛烈地

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