Skip to content
Open access

HUMOROUS DISCOURSE IN ENGLISH AND ITS FUNCTIONS

Jul 2026 · Baltic Journal of Legal and Social Sciences · 0 citations · 10 references

Abstract

The article opens the concept of humorous discourse based on the materials of the English language, determines the role of humor in pragmatic, linguistic and social discourses. It becomes clear that humor in English discourses is not only used to create laughter, but also acts as a discourse strategy that expresses social criticism, identity demonstration, ideological position and state relations. These strategies and goals of humor have found their bright reflection in the works of Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Sweet, Mark Twain and Jerome K. Jerome. In this regard, the article also examines the main functions of humorous discourse. The basis of these functions is to reflect the contrasts and contradictions of society with humor, demonstrate identity and social status through the English language, have an ironic, comic effect on the other party, create a status difference, create intimacy through jokes using puns (word play), metaphorical expressions, paradoxes, lexical transformations, criticize with irony, etc. The article gives an explanation of what each function will do and the role of these meanings in humorous discourse.

Read PDF