Salience, accessibility, and humorous potential in the comprehension of garden path jokes
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Bastian Mayerhofer
Abstract
Garden path jokes exploit discourse comprehension processes at the interface of semantics and pragmatics. Up to the punch-line, the recipient is intentionally led up the garden path. A first dominant interpretation of an ambiguous textual input is constructed. After encountering a violation of the coherence at stage of the punch-line, an alternative, hidden interpretation has to be activated by reanalysis processes. Contrary to well-studied garden path sentences, in which the violation and the repair process occur primarily on a syntactical level, in garden path jokes, they have a primarily semantic locus. A coherent meaning of the discourse has to be re-established by the retrieval of relevant knowledge. The aim of this paper is to develop a probabilistic account for the cognitive processes necessary for the successful comprehension of garden path jokes. We focus on three aspects: (i) the salience of the first interpretation, (ii) the accessibility of the hidden interpretation, and (iii) the humorous potential of the whole joke. The comprehension process is assumed as probabilistic, non-monotonic, and incremental reasoning towards the most plausible interpretation of both linguistic and non-linguistic inputs. Empirical assumptions of the account are pointed out. Previous data related to these assumptions are reviewed, and possible operationalisation of these assumptions for future empirical research is presented.
Abstract
Garden path jokes exploit discourse comprehension processes at the interface of semantics and pragmatics. Up to the punch-line, the recipient is intentionally led up the garden path. A first dominant interpretation of an ambiguous textual input is constructed. After encountering a violation of the coherence at stage of the punch-line, an alternative, hidden interpretation has to be activated by reanalysis processes. Contrary to well-studied garden path sentences, in which the violation and the repair process occur primarily on a syntactical level, in garden path jokes, they have a primarily semantic locus. A coherent meaning of the discourse has to be re-established by the retrieval of relevant knowledge. The aim of this paper is to develop a probabilistic account for the cognitive processes necessary for the successful comprehension of garden path jokes. We focus on three aspects: (i) the salience of the first interpretation, (ii) the accessibility of the hidden interpretation, and (iii) the humorous potential of the whole joke. The comprehension process is assumed as probabilistic, non-monotonic, and incremental reasoning towards the most plausible interpretation of both linguistic and non-linguistic inputs. Empirical assumptions of the account are pointed out. Previous data related to these assumptions are reviewed, and possible operationalisation of these assumptions for future empirical research is presented.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- A view on humour theory vii
-
I. New humour frameworks and extensions
- From perception of contraries to humorous incongruities 3
- Okras and the metapragmatic stereotypes of humour 25
- Signals of humor 49
- Comic nescience 75
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II. New theoretical issues in humour studies
- Impoliteness as disaffiliative humour in film talk 105
- Giving voice to the studio audience 145
- Negotiating humorous intent 179
- Perspective clashing as a humour mechanism 211
- Phrasemes, parodies and the art of timing 235
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III. New theoretical approaches to established forms of humour
- Decoding encoded (im)politeness 263
- When does irony tickle the hearer? 289
- Strategies and tactics for ironic subversion 321
- Salience, accessibility, and humorous potential in the comprehension of garden path jokes 341
- Televised political satire 367
- “It’s not funny out of context!” 393
- Index 423
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- A view on humour theory vii
-
I. New humour frameworks and extensions
- From perception of contraries to humorous incongruities 3
- Okras and the metapragmatic stereotypes of humour 25
- Signals of humor 49
- Comic nescience 75
-
II. New theoretical issues in humour studies
- Impoliteness as disaffiliative humour in film talk 105
- Giving voice to the studio audience 145
- Negotiating humorous intent 179
- Perspective clashing as a humour mechanism 211
- Phrasemes, parodies and the art of timing 235
-
III. New theoretical approaches to established forms of humour
- Decoding encoded (im)politeness 263
- When does irony tickle the hearer? 289
- Strategies and tactics for ironic subversion 321
- Salience, accessibility, and humorous potential in the comprehension of garden path jokes 341
- Televised political satire 367
- “It’s not funny out of context!” 393
- Index 423
