The uses of laughter in epideictic radio interviews
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Greg Myers
Abstract
A number of researchers have dealt with laughter as a strategic device in broadcast interviews and press conferences. I consider how laughter works in a genre in which part of the purpose is to praise the interviewee – what I call epideictic interviews. These interviews have interactional problems around presenting and accepting praise. Laughter can be placed so that it acknowledges and mitigates these problems. Typically, interviewee laughter comes in response to interviewer praise, or in the performance of humorous material. Interviewer laughter often marks for the audience that material is to be taken as non-serious. Analysis of laughter tells us both about the peculiarities of interaction in this broadcast genre, and about the difficulties in performing and listening to praise.
Abstract
A number of researchers have dealt with laughter as a strategic device in broadcast interviews and press conferences. I consider how laughter works in a genre in which part of the purpose is to praise the interviewee – what I call epideictic interviews. These interviews have interactional problems around presenting and accepting praise. Laughter can be placed so that it acknowledges and mitigates these problems. Typically, interviewee laughter comes in response to interviewer praise, or in the performance of humorous material. Interviewer laughter often marks for the audience that material is to be taken as non-serious. Analysis of laughter tells us both about the peculiarities of interaction in this broadcast genre, and about the difficulties in performing and listening to praise.
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Dedication v
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Structures in discourse 1
- Evaluation as a persuasive tactic in the 2012 Obama-Romney debates 18
- How pragmatically (in)definite are you and one ? 36
- Amazing – The use of English in texting between a Finland-Swedish high school girl and friends 58
- The uses of laughter in epideictic radio interviews 83
- Temporality in reaction GIFs as multimodal virtual performatives 103
- Emoji and illocutionarity 124
- Revisiting adaptability 156
- Vernacular voices in the public sphere 176
- Contributor bios 202
- Index 205
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Dedication v
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Structures in discourse 1
- Evaluation as a persuasive tactic in the 2012 Obama-Romney debates 18
- How pragmatically (in)definite are you and one ? 36
- Amazing – The use of English in texting between a Finland-Swedish high school girl and friends 58
- The uses of laughter in epideictic radio interviews 83
- Temporality in reaction GIFs as multimodal virtual performatives 103
- Emoji and illocutionarity 124
- Revisiting adaptability 156
- Vernacular voices in the public sphere 176
- Contributor bios 202
- Index 205
