Today the youth and its culture attracts more attention than ever before. Via the internet, films, music or magazines it is possible to spread the feelings and tastes of a whole generation. Easily, a whole new culture can develope. So to say, modern media as a huge influence on the younger generation. Today, media is of major importance to younger people, because they use it as a communicative device, too.
The term “youth language” will be one aspect of this bachelor thesis. For the examination of the linguistic features it is necessary to look at the use of that language in conversations.
Moreover, the focus will be on a special field of youth language. Namely, the humour and in detail conversational jokes ocurring in youth language willl be analysed. The data are on the basis of the motion picture Juno, which thematises an uncomfortably youth issue from the viewpoint of a sixteen-year- old girl.
In the following, this work is concerned with the question, if youth language is used by the characters. Furthermore a speech analysis can reveal the linguistic features of the language of the adolescents. Moreover, the focus will be on how much humorous potential lies in their conversations.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. How is Humour created?
1.1 Humour theories
1.2 Features of Humour
1.3 Conversational joking
2. Characteristic Features of Youth Language
3. The Language and Humour in Juno
3.1 Characteristics of a Comedy Movie
3.2 About Juno
3.3 Analysing Examples
Conclusion
Bibliography
Course materials:
Internet pages:
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This thesis investigates the linguistic characteristics of youth language, specifically focusing on the intersection of conversational humour and adolescent speech. By utilizing the motion picture Juno as a primary data source, the work explores how characters employ irony, wordplay, and specific colloquialisms to navigate social interactions and establish identity, ultimately questioning the authenticity of youth language representations in media.
- Theoretical foundations of humour (incongruity, release, and superiority theories).
- Linguistic markers of youth language and slang development.
- Analysis of comedic movie structures and independent film conventions.
- Deconstruction of spontaneous conversational joking and its social functions.
- Interpretation of adolescent discourse as a form of social control and identity performance.
Excerpt from the Thesis
3.3 Analysing Examples
The following transcript is an extract from a phone call between Juno and her best friend Leah, right after Juno found out that she is pregnant. The first words fulfil attributes of youth language already. It seems as if it is a spontaneous creation of words without permanence or constancy.
Moreover, it is restricted to that specific situation and it would not be proper to use it in public and in institutional situations. It is a typical example for the shared knowledge, which is a feature of youth language:
Leah: Yo Yo Yiggedy Yo.
Juno’s reaction confirms that. Otherwise, Juno should have asked her friend about the meaning of that statement:
Juno: I'm at suicide risk.
Leah: Juno?
Instead, Juno answers quickly and exaggerates her situation by saying that she is at “suicide risk”. After that, Leah makes sure that it is, in fact, her friend on the phone; and we get a first impression from Juno’s responses.
Juno: No, it's Morgan Freeman. Do you have any bones that need collecting?
Leah: Only the one in my pants...
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the significance of youth culture and media, establishing the research focus on humour within youth language using the film Juno.
1. How is Humour created?: Explores foundational humour theories including incongruity, superiority, and release theories, while defining the script-based nature of verbal humour.
2. Characteristic Features of Youth Language: Discusses the sociolinguistic aspects of adolescent language, differentiating between age-exclusive and age-preferential usage.
3. The Language and Humour in Juno: Provides a practical analysis of dialogue in the film, examining specific exchanges to demonstrate the use of irony, puns, and youth-specific slang.
Conclusion: Synthesizes findings, asserting that youth language in the film functions as both an identity marker and a mechanism for social control through aggressive humour.
Keywords
Youth language, Conversational humour, Juno, Incongruity theory, Script-switch, Adolescent discourse, Irony, Slang, Verbal play, Sociolinguistics, Media representation, Communication mode, Social bonding, Pragmatics, Movie analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work examines how conversational humour is integrated into youth language, using the film Juno as a case study to analyze linguistic patterns and social dynamics among teenagers.
Which theoretical framework is used to explain humour?
The author applies several classic humour theories, primarily Raskin’s semantic script-based theory, alongside the incongruity, superiority, and release theories.
How is youth language defined in this study?
Youth language is characterized by innovative vocabulary, colloquialisms, usage of hedges like "like", and ritualized speech patterns that change over time and across different age groups.
What methodology does the author employ?
The study uses qualitative speech analysis and discourse analysis to deconstruct film transcripts, focusing on turn-taking, adjacency pairs, and the violation of conversational maxims.
What role does humour play in the conversations analyzed?
Humour often serves as a tool for social bonding or asserting dominance; however, in the film Juno, it is frequently used in an aggressive or disruptive manner to navigate uncomfortable situations.
What are the key findings regarding the film Juno?
The analysis suggests that Juno’s dialogue is a stylized representation of youth language that uses irony and absurdity to distance the character from her complex reality.
Why does Juno use "suicide risk" in her conversation?
It is an example of conversational exaggeration and situational humour, where Juno uses hyperbole to cope with the shock of her pregnancy during a phone call with her friend.
How does the author interpret the term "honest to blog"?
The author identifies it as an innovative wordplay on "honest to God," reflecting the rise of the internet and the role of blogs as factual verification tools in contemporary teen speech.
What is the significance of the "Morgan Freeman" joke?
It serves as a moment of situational irony and mistaken identity, which the author uses to illustrate how Juno employs superior-feeling wit to maintain control in social interactions.
- Citation du texte
- Elisabeth Henschel (Auteur), 2009, Conversational Joking in English Youth Language, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/175341
