A rhetorical analysis of humor styles and techniques used in persian stand-up comedy
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Mohammad Ali Heidari-Shahreza
Abstract
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first (rhetorical) investigation of Persian stand-up comedy. In the present research, a rhetorical approach is taken to examine humor styles and techniques used in seven stand-up performances. These performances were performed by two Iranian comedians, the finalists from a recent (and probably the first) Persian stand-up comedy contest in Iran. Initially, Asian stand-up comedy is briefly addressed. Then, Persian stand-up comedy is introduced within the continuum of Iranian performing traditions. Afterward, the typology, unit of analysis and the communication framework employed in this research are elaborated on. Having established the historical and theoretical preliminaries, the paper reports on and discusses the findings. Particularly, the rhetorical devices used by the comedians to create humor are highlighted. Moreover, several aspects of the interaction between the comedians and the audience are touched upon. Finally, the paper points out several directions of Persian stand-up comedy, the study’s limitations and suggestions for further research.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Mina Aghakhani for her help in the transcription and the initial analysis of the video clips and, of course, her encouragement throughout the research. I am also grateful to Khandevaneh TV program, especially Rambod Javan, Mehran Ghafourian and Amir-Mahdi Zhooleh for the stand-up comedy performances analyzed in this research.
Appendix 1:
Stand-up comedy typology, a modified version of the sitcom typology proposed by Juckel et al. (2016)
| No. | Language | Logic | Identity | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allusion | Absurdity | Parody | Peculiar face |
| 2 | Irony | Coincidence | Rigidity | Clumsiness |
| 3 | Puns | Conceptual surprise | Malicious pleasure | Repulsive behavior |
| 4 | Repartee | Outwitting | Condescension | |
| 5 | Ridicule | Caught out | Deceitful behavior | |
| 6 | Wit | Misunderstanding | Self-deprecation |
Appendix 2:
Definition of humor techniques based on a modified version of the sitcom typology by Juckel et al. (2016)
| No. | Humor technique | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Absurdity | Nonsense, a situation that goes against all logical rules |
| 2 | Allusion | Indirect reference |
| 3 | Caught out | Unexpectedly get caught while wrongdoing or saying something reprehensible |
| 4 | Clumsiness | Lacking dexterity or grace |
| 5 | Coincidence | A coincidental and unexpected occurrence |
| 6 | Conceptual surprise | Misleading the audience by means of a sudden unexpected change of concept |
| 7 | Condescension | Displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior |
| 8 | Deceitful behavior | Being deliberately misleading, concealing or distorting the truth |
| 9 | Irony | Saying one thing and meaning something else or exactly the opposite of what you’re saying |
| 10 | Malicious pleasure | Taking pleasure in other people’s misfortune; victim humor |
| 11 | Misunderstanding | Misinterpreting a situation |
| 12 | Outwitting | Outsmarting someone or the establishment |
| 13 | Parody | Imitating a style or a genre of literature or other media |
| 14 | Peculiar face | Making a funny face, grimace |
| 15 | Pun | Playing with the meaning of words |
| 16 | Repartee | Verbal banter, usually in a witty dialogue |
| 17 | Repulsive behavior | Offensive, aversive, disgusting behavior |
| 18 | Ridicule | Making a fool of someone, verbally or nonverbally |
| 19 | Rigidity | Someone who thinks along straight lines, who is conservative and inflexible |
| 20 | Self-deprecation | Expressing something negative about oneself |
| 21 | Wit | Ingenious humor |
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© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- A rhetorical analysis of humor styles and techniques used in persian stand-up comedy
- The effects of modulating contrast in verbal irony as a cue for giftedness
- Conversational humor and job satisfaction at work: exploring the role of humor production, appreciation, and positive affect
- On Joking Contexts: An Example of Stand-Up Comedy
- Book Reviews
- Buffard-Moret, Brigitte: Bons mots, jeux de mots, jeux sur les mots. De la création à la réception
- Jones, Colin: The Smile Revolution in Eighteenth-Century Paris
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- A rhetorical analysis of humor styles and techniques used in persian stand-up comedy
- The effects of modulating contrast in verbal irony as a cue for giftedness
- Conversational humor and job satisfaction at work: exploring the role of humor production, appreciation, and positive affect
- On Joking Contexts: An Example of Stand-Up Comedy
- Book Reviews
- Buffard-Moret, Brigitte: Bons mots, jeux de mots, jeux sur les mots. De la création à la réception
- Jones, Colin: The Smile Revolution in Eighteenth-Century Paris
