I Introduction
The study of humor dates back to the ancient times when Plato and Aristotle formulated first theories as to why people laugh (Attardo 1994:18-19). In the course of centuries humor has become a complex field of study with numerous researches that have been conducted in various disciplines (Schnurr 2010: 308-309). Hence, humor has also been given attention in the field of linguistics, especially in its branches semiotics, semantics and pragmatics. Due to the extensive research by linguists like Attardo (1994), Raskin (1985) or Norrick (1993), verbal humor has become a thoroughly investigated field these days. While Raskin´s (1985) and Attordo´s (1994) research focuses on humor theories as well as analyzing the nature of jokes from a linguistic point of view, Norrick investigates the function of humor in the context of familiar conversations (Attardo 136- 137 , 145). However, it was not until recently that linguists have engaged with the analysis of humor in sitcoms; therefore comparatively few studies have been published in this area yet (Kalliomäki 2005: 4). This pragmatic approach to humor aims at investigating if humorous situations in the American sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’ relate to the violation of the maxims of the cooperative principle. Moreover, this study analyzes which humor strategies are produced by the violation of the Gricean cooperative maxims to elicit the audience´s laughter. The relevant research questions are:
1) Do humorous situations relate to the violation of the maxims of the Grice´s cooperative principle?
2) If 1) is the case, what are the characteristics of the humor that is produced through the violation of a maxim? (i.e. Which maxim is violated? Which humor strategies are employed by whom and in which context?)
3) Does a character create humor by intention or unintentionally?
The qualitative analysis in this paper is supposed to contribute to a better pragmatic understanding of the humor of the sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’. The data used in this study are obtained from the collection of scripts from season 1 and the DVD - recording. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ has become one of the most popular sitcoms in the US. It deals with four nerdy characters, the two roommates and physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter as well as their friends, astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali and the Jewish aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Grice´s Cooperative
2.2 Humor and the Violation of the Cooperative Principle
3 Humor Analysis in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
3.1 Data Collection
3.2 Analysis of the Violation of the Grice´s Maxims
3.2.1 Violation of the Maxim of Quantity
3.2.2 Violation of the Maxim of Quality
3.2.3 Violation of the Maxim of Relation
3.2.4 Violation of the Maxim of Manner
4 Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this study is to analyze how humorous situations in the American sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory' are generated through the violation of Grice's maxims of the cooperative principle, examining whether these violations occur intentionally or unintentionally to elicit laughter.
- Application of Grice's cooperative principle to television comedy.
- Linguistic analysis of humor strategies (sarcasm, hyperbole, register).
- Distinction between intentional and unintentional humor creation.
- Pragmatic evaluation of character interactions in a sitcom setting.
- Qualitative assessment of script and performance-based humor.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2.1 Violation of the Maxim of Quantity
Season 1 Episode 2 : The Big Bran Hypothesis
In this scene Leonard apologizes to Penny for breaking into her apartment while she while sleeping at night. Originally, he intended to state the apology in form of a letter. However, Penny immediately opens when Leonard tries to slip the letter under her door, so Leonard decides to read out the letter.
(3) -> Leonard: Uh.Here´s the thing. Penny, just as Oppenheimer came to regret his contributions to the first atomic bomb, so too I regret my participation in what was, at the very least, an error in judgment. The hallmark of the great human experiment is the willingness to recognize one´s mistakes, such as Madam Curie´s discovery of radium turned out to have great scientific potential, even though she would later die a slow painful death from radiation poisoning. Another example from the field of Ebola research …
Penny: Leonard.
Leonard: Yeah?
Penny: We´re ok.
Leonard obviously violates the Maxim of Quantity by providing a lengthy and digressive apology. Elaborating on scientific discoveries like Oppenheimer´s atomic bomb, Leonard runs the risk of misleading Penny. Thus, she could fail to grasp the conversational implicature ‘I am sorry for breaking into your apartment at night’. Consequently, she might not succeed in recognizing the intended apology as such. Moreover, by making use of the violation of the Maxim of Quantity the writers have chosen a scientific register as humor strategy. Leonard´s wordy and affected style (“The hallmark of the great human experiment…”) as well as the scientific choice of words evoke the audience´s laughter. Even though the text passage is actually intended as a written letter, this register is inappropriate in the context of an apology. However, Leonard unconsciously creates humor at this point. Conversing in this elaborate, educated manner seems rather normal for him. Laughter is aroused on two levels. Penny amuses herself about his unorthodox apology in the fictional world of the sitcom, which becomes apparent through her smiles. In addition, Leonard’s behavior also prompts the audience´s laughter. Finally, Leonard violates the Maxim of Manner at the same time. He is neither “brief” nor does he “avoid obscurity of expression” (Gice1989: 26). In sum, the register, which is inappropriate in this context, and the unexpectedly long- winded apology elicit laughter in this scene.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the study, the research questions regarding Grice's maxims in sitcom humor, and the methodology used for the analysis.
2 Literature Review: This section provides the theoretical background on Grice's Cooperative Principle and examines previous research linking humor to the violation of these maxims.
3 Humor Analysis in ‘The Big Bang Theory’: This chapter serves as the empirical core, where specific scenes are analyzed to demonstrate how violations of quantity, quality, relation, and manner contribute to humor.
4 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the findings, confirming the applicability of Grice's theory to sitcoms while acknowledging the prevalence of unintentional humor.
Keywords
Humor, Grice, Cooperative Principle, Pragmatics, The Big Bang Theory, Maxim of Quantity, Maxim of Quality, Maxim of Relation, Maxim of Manner, Sitcom, Conversational Implicature, Irony, Sarcasm, Linguistics, Verbal Humor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
This work examines the linguistic mechanisms behind the humor in the sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory', specifically focusing on how the violation of Grice's conversational maxims triggers humorous responses.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
The study centers on pragmatics, the application of Gricean maxims, the distinction between intentional and unintentional humor, and the role of social context in comedy.
What is the main research question of this study?
The study investigates whether humorous situations in the show relate to the violation of Grice's cooperative principle and what specific strategies are employed to create this humor.
Which methodology is applied to the analysis?
A qualitative, manual textual analysis is performed using scripts from the first season and DVD recordings of specific episodes to evaluate dialogue against the criteria of the four Gricean maxims.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body breaks down specific scenes from 'The Big Bran Hypothesis' and 'The Grasshopper Experiment' to show how violations of quantity, quality, relation, and manner manifest as comedy.
What key terms define this research?
Key terms include pragmatics, conversational implicature, cooperative principle, and various humor strategies like irony and hyperbole.
How does Sheldon Cooper's behavior specifically violate the maxims?
Sheldon often provides irrelevant information or fails to understand conversational implicature, frequently violating the Maxim of Relation and the Maxim of Manner due to his social awkwardness.
Is the humor in the sitcom always intentional according to the author?
No, the analysis highlights that many of the most humorous moments occur when characters unintentionally violate maxims, which challenges traditional models that assume humor is always a deliberate act.
- Quote paper
- Sören Klohe (Author), 2012, Creation of Humor in 'The Big Bang Theory'. An Analysis based on Grice's Maxims, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/196608
