《生活大爆炸》合作原則；言語幽默；情景喜劇

PAGEIV摘要隨著經(jīng)濟全球化的發(fā)展，當(dāng)代美國情景喜劇逐漸走進中國觀眾的視野，跨文化交際在生活中變得越來越重要。根據(jù)會話合作原則，在語言交際中，說者和聽者之間為了順利的溝通與交流，常常會自覺或者不自覺地遵守一些會話原則。但幽默作為人類社會特有的語言藝術(shù)，常常在會話中違反合作原則，制造笑點。當(dāng)代美國情景喜劇中大部分的言語幽默都是由于違反合作原則而產(chǎn)生的，比如說其中最具代表性的情景喜劇《生活大爆炸》。對其言語幽默產(chǎn)生機制的分析能夠更深入地了解西方的語言文化，對我國的影視劇的發(fā)展有很強的推動作用。關(guān)鍵詞：《生活大爆炸》合作原則；言語幽默；情景喜劇AbstractWiththedevelopmentoftheeconomicglobalization,thecontemporaryAmericancomedygraduallyenterstheeye-sightoftheChineseaudience,andthecross-culturalcommunicationbecomesmoreandmoreimportantinlife.Accordingtotheprincipleofcooperation,inthelanguagecommunication,inordertomakecommunicationbetweenthespeakerandthelistenergoessmoothly,bothsidesoftenconsciouslyorunconsciouslytoconformtocooperativeprinciples.Buthumor,asauniquelanguageartofhumansociety,oftenviolatestheprincipleofcooperation,whichcanmakeapunchline.ThemostofthelanguagehumorincontemporaryAmericansitcomisduetotheviolationoftheprincipleofcooperation,suchasBigBang,themostrepresentativesitcom.Theanalysisonthegenerationmechanismofhumorouslanguagecanbetterunderstandthewesternlanguageculture,andhasastrongimpetustothedevelopmentofthefilmandtelevisionplayinourcountry.Keywords：principleofcooperation；verbalhumor；sitcomContents14766摘要 I16463Abstract II12107Introduction 124297ChapterOneTheCooperativePrincipleonHumorousLanguage 227641.1TheCooperativePrinciple 214401.1.1TheOriginoftheCooperativePrinciple 2198701.1.2TheDefinitionoftheCooperativePrinciple 3287701.1.3TheViolationoftheCooperativePrinciple 4274681.2HumorousLanguage 457901.2.1TheDefinitionofHumorousLanguage 4121371.2.2TheTypesofHumorousLanguage 531765ChapterTwoTheInfluenceofViolationoftheCooperativePrincipleonHumorousLanguage—ACaseStudyofBigBang 6130922.1TheViolationofQuantityMaxim 6280142.1.1MoreInformation 747002.1.2LessInformation 745122.2TheViolationofQualityMaxim 8198062.2.1Irony 888262.2.2Metaphor 9110902.3TheViolationofRelationMaxim 10216842.3.1Allusion 10142052.3.2Shift 11128692.4TheViolationofMannerMaxim 11227112.4.1Ambiguity 11246922.4.2Repetition 1222959ChapterThreeTheEnlightenmentoftheCooperativePrincipleontheHumorousLanguageinSitcom 1441563.1TheApplicationoftheHumorousLanguageinSitcom 144123.2TheDifficultiesforAppreciationoftheHumorousLanguageinSitcom 1511023.3TheMethodsforAppreciationoftheHumorousLanguageinSitcom 167606Conclusion 1815156Bibliography 1931496Acknowledgments 20哈爾濱華德學(xué)院本科畢業(yè)設(shè)計（論文）PAGE20IntroductionP.Grice,anAmericanlinguisticphilosopher,pointedoutclearlyinhislectureseriesofWilliamJamesofHarvardUniversityin1967thatbothsidesofverbalcommunicationhavethedesiretocooperatewitheachothertoachievecommunicationsuccess,sotheymustabidebysomebasicprinciplesnamely,“cooperativeprinciple”(CPforshort).CPstipulatesthatpeople’sutterancesarefullofinformation,andthecontentisauthenticinordertoavoidambiguityanddisorder.CPconsistsoffourcriterionincludingqualitymaxim,quantitymaxim,relationmaximandmannermaxim.Theoreticallyspeaking,bothsidesofspeechcommunicationtrytoabidebytheprincipleofcooperationandtrytounderstandandcooperatewitheachothersoastoensurethesmoothprogressofconversation.Inactualcommunication,duetothedifferentculturalandeducationalbackground,intelligencelevelandspecialcontextofthetwosides,thespeakermayviolatesomeconversationrulesduetosomepracticalneeds.Whenonepartyperceivestheotherparty’sintentionalviolationoftheprincipleofcooperation,hewillinferthespeaker’sapparentviolationintentionanddeducetheimpliedmeaningoftheotherpartyincombinationwiththespecificcontext,andhumorwilloftenbeproducedinthisunexpectedconversationalmeaning.Sometimes,humoralsohelpspeopletouseironicbuthumorouslanguagetoexposethedarknessoflifeanddefendtheirrights.Humorcanplayanimportantroleinmaintaininginterpersonalrelationshipandsocialharmony,sotheimportantroleofhumorhasarousedmanyscholars’interest.Thestudyofhumorouslanguagehasitspracticalsignificance.However,humorouslanguagecannotexistindependentlyfromthespecificcontext.Whenthecontextisperfectlycombinedwiththespeaker’slanguageandthought,theaudiencecanunderstandthespeaker’shumorouslanguage.However,theemergenceofhumorouslanguageviolatesthecooperativeprincipleinpragmatics.Therefore,fromtheperspectiveofpragmatics,basedonthecurrentpopularAmericansitcomBigBang,weanalyzestheverbalhumorinGrice’sconversationalcooperationprincipletheoryandexplorestheinfluenceofcooperationprincipleonhumorlanguage,soastobetterunderstandandappreciateforeignsitcomsandappreciatetheuniquecharmoflanguagehumor.ChapterOneTheCooperativePrincipleonHumorousLanguageTheprincipleofcooperationisproposedbyGriceforthesmoothandeffectivelanguagecommunicationbetweenthetwosides,butintheactuallifecommunication,sometimespeopleturnablindeyetotheseprinciplesandsometimesinordertoproducehumorousspeecheffect,peopleevenconsciouslyviolatetheseprinciples.Whenitcomestospecificconversationalsituations,ifthetwosidesofcommunicationareconsciouslyagainsteachother,itwillproducehumorouslanguage.Therefore,theprincipleofcooperationrequiresthatwhattheparticipantssayinthecourseofconversationshouldconformtothegoalordirectionofthisconversation.Onlybyfollowingtheseprinciplescanthetwosidesofcommunicationcooperatewitheachotherandthecommunicationbesmooth.Asanimportantprincipletoguidespeechcommunication,cooperativeprinciplehasbeenwidelyaccepted.TheCooperativePrincipleThe“cooperativeprinciple”wasproposedbythefamousAmericanlanguagephilosopherGriceinaspeechatHarvardUniversityin1967.Undernormalcircumstances,people’sconversationsarenotmadeupofaseriesofincoherentandunorganizedwords.Thisisbecausetheparticipantsintheconversationaresomewhatawareofoneoragroupofcommongoals,oratleastonedirectionthatisacceptabletoeachother.Duringtheconversation,wordsthatarenotsuitableforthepurposeordirectionoftheconversationaredeleted,allowingtheconversationtoproceedsmoothly.Inthisway,ageneralprincipleisproposedthatrequirestheparticipantsoftheconversationtoabideby:“Theprincipleofcooperation”,whichreferstothefactthatwhenapersonistalking,thecontentoftheconversationisconsistentwiththerecognizedgoalordirection.1.1.1TheOriginoftheCooperativePrincipleTheCooperativePrincipleisputforwardbyGrace,afamousAmericanlinguisticphilosopher,inhisspeechatHarvardUniversityin1967.InGrice’sopinion,intheprocessofcommunication,thetwosidesofthedialogueseemtofollowacertainprincipleintentionallyorunconsciouslyinordertocooperateeffectivelyandaccomplishthecommunicativetask.1.1.2TheDefinitionoftheCooperativePrincipleInlanguagecommunication,thereisatacitunderstandingofconversationbetweenthespeakerandthehearer,andthereisacooperativeprinciplethatbothsidesabideby.Ifthistacitunderstandingisdeliberatelyviolatedinthecourseofdialogue,itislikelytoproducehilarioushumor.ThemostcommonprincipleofcooperationwasputforwardbyGrice,anAmericanlinguisticphilosopher,in1967.Hebelievedthatinordertoensurethesmoothprogressofconversation,peoplewouldconsciouslyorunconsciouslyabidebyabasicprinciple.Bothsidesoftheconversationshouldprovideappropriatediscourseaccordingtothechangeofthepurposeordirectionoftheconversationinordertohaveaccurateandeffectiveconversation.AccordingtoGrice’sviewinlogicandconversation,thecooperativeprinciplethatpeopleabidebyinconversationincludesthefollowingfourcategoriesThequantitycriteriaincludestwoaspects.Thefirstisthatthesaidwordsshouldincludetheinformationneededforthepurposeofthecurrentconversation.Thesecondisthatthesaidwordsshouldnotincludetheinformationbeyondthepurposeofthecurrentconversation.2)Themeaningofqualitycriteriaistomakewhatyousayastrueaspossible,includingtwopoints.Thefirstpointisnottosayfalseinformationthatyouhaveknown.andthesecondpointisnottosaytheinformationthatlackssufficientevidenceinformation.Thatis,thereisnofalseinformationandnogroundlesswordsinthecontentoftheconversation.3)Therelationshipcriteriameansthattheinformationshouldberelevant,thatis,thecontentoftheconversationshouldberelatedtothetopic.4)Modecriteriameanstousesimpleandclearsentencesinconversationtoavoidambiguityormisunderstandingofthehearer.Inaddition,thetwosidesofconversationdonotuseobscurewordsandsentences,andthewordsshouldbeorganizedandlogical.1.1.3TheViolationoftheCooperativePrincipleInactualspeechcommunication,peoplecannotalwaysabidebytheprincipleofcooperation.Forthesakeofneed,peoplewilldeliberatelyviolatetheprincipleofcooperation.Gricecallsthisasillocutionarymeaningorspecialconversationalmeaning,whichisproducedbyintentionallyviolatingtheprincipleofcooperationonthesurface.Specialconversationalimplicatureexplainshowthehearerunderstandstheexternalmeaningthroughthesurfacemeaningofthespeaker’sutterance,soastoexpressanothermeaning.Humorisoftenproducedatthistime.Generallyspeaking,thetwosidesofcommunicationneedtofollowtheprincipleofcooperation,butitdoesnotmeanthatpeoplemustmechanicallycommunicateinthecommunicationmodegivenbytheprincipleofcooperation.Inreallife,weoftenseeviolationsoftheprincipleofcooperationinourlives.Tosomeextent,thedialogueagainsttheprincipleofcooperationcanaddhumortothecommunication,andalsoingeniouslyavoidembarrassment,makingthelanguageofbothsidesmoreartistic.HumorousLanguageHumorisaspecialspeechcommunicationstrategyforhumanbeings.Itisusuallytheuseofpuns,irony,homophonicandexaggerationwhichintegratesmeansofexpression,theshortcomingsandadvantages,defectsandperfection,absurdandreason,stupidandalertandothertwopolesoftheoppositeattributestogether.Intheunityofopposites,itembodiesprofoundmeaningorself-deprecatingwisdom.Englishhasthecharacteristicsofshortparagraphsandstronglanguagepracticability.StudyingEnglishhumorcanfindcharacteristicsandlawsofEnglishlanguagefrommultiplelevels.1.2.1TheDefinitionofHumorousLanguageWikipedias’interpretationoftheword“humor”isthetendencyofspecialcognitiveexperiencetocauselaughterandprovideentertainment.Thereasonwhyhumormakespeoplelaughisthatittakesthecontradictionofthingsasthekeynoteandexpressespeople’srealviewsandopinionsthroughthesuperficialfunnyforms.Theoriginofhumorisvarious,whichcanbecausedbythevagueuseofphonetics,vocabularyandsyntax.Itcanbeproducedbytheingenioususeoffiguresofspeech.Itcanalsobeexploredfromthepragmaticperspective.ThenationwhichregardsEnglishasanativelanguageisahumorousnation,whichisfullyreflectedinBritishandAmericanliteratureandfilmandtelevisionworks.ThesitcomBigBangisatypicalexample.1.2.2TheTypesofHumorousLanguageInthebookpersonalityandsenseofhumor,theIsraelischolarAvnerZivdivideshumorintofivetypesaccordingtosocialfunctions.Thefirstisaggressivehumor:usinghumortoridiculeandmakeotherslosefaceandhurtothers’self-esteem;Thesecondissexualhumor:sexualorobscenelanguageorsuggestionwillbringinterestandmayalsoconstituteharassment;Thethirdissocialhumorwhichhelpsindividualstocommunicate,causeotherstopayattention,makeeasesituations,defusetension,orsavefacewithself-mockery;Thefourthkindishumortoovercomeanxiety:Itisusedtorelievedepression,toovercomedepressionanduneasinessandtomakepeopletreattheunpleasantthingsinlifewithanoptimisticattitude;Thefifthisintellectualhumorwhosefunctionistoexpressdifferentviewsandthoughts,whichcanbetruewisdomorshakesmartandplaysmart.ChapterTwoTheInfluenceofViolationoftheCooperativePrincipleonHumorousLanguage—ACaseStudyofBigBangIndailycommunication,theconversationalistsometimesintentionallyfailstoabidebyacertainprincipleinthecooperativeprinciple,suchassayingsomethingirrelevanttothetopicorveryabsurd.Inthisway,theotherpartyinvolvedintheconversationneedstogobeyondthesurfacemeaningoftheutterancetofindouttheimplication.Inmostcases,theviolationofcooperativeprinciplebybothsidesofconversationdoesnotaffectthenormalcommunication,butproduceshumorouslanguageeffect.AsamasterpieceofAmericansitcom,BigBangfullydemonstratesthecharmofverbalhumor.SheldonisageniuswithIQashighas187.BornintheeastofTexas,isatheoreticalphysicistofCaltech.HeisandLeonardrenttogetherat2311NorthStreetoflovelesinPasadena,California.Heisthesouloftheplay.Leonard,whoseIQis173,isanexperimentalphysicistofCaltech.BorninNewJersey,heisagoodpartnerofSheldon.Pennyisabeautifulandsexygirlwhodreamsofbecomingafamousactress.PennyandLeonardareacouple.HowardisascientistintheDepartmentofAppliedPhysicsatCaltech,withamaster’sdegreeinengineeringfromMITandagoodfriendofLeonard.Raj,ashyIndianboy,speaksrealIndianEnglish.Astrophysicist,studyingexperimentalphysics,isLeonard’sgoodfriend.BernadetteisHoward’sgirlfriend.Sheisamicrobiologist.Intheplay,alargenumberoftheirlanguagewhichviolatestheprincipleofconversationcooperationeffectivelycreatesandtransmitsthehumorouseffect,whichmakestheaudiencelaughagainandagain.2.1TheViolationofQuantityMaximWhenpeopleviolatetheprincipleofquantity,therearetwosituations:oneisthattheamountofinformationexpressedbyAexceedsthatrequiredbyB,andtheotheristhattheamountofinformationexpressedbyAislessthanthatrequiredbyB.2.1.1MoreInformationMoreinformationmeansthatonesideoftheconversationexpressesmoreinformationthantheothersideneeds,asshowninthefirstepisodeoftheeighthseasonofBigBang.Sheldon:MayIuseyourphone,sir?Stranger:Idon’tthinkso.Sheldon:Yes,IknowI’mhalfnaked.Butthereisareasonableexplanation.WhenIwassleepinginthesleepingcar,allmythingswerestolen.Now,Iusuallywearpajamas.ButI’vebeenlivingasatramplately.Pajamasaremen’spajamas.IwantyoutoknowthatMahatmaGandhididnotwearpants,andanationunitedbehindhim!Sheldon’sluggagewasstolenduringhistrip.Whenhewasrefusedtoborrowaphonefromastrangerinhisunderwearatthestation,hetriedtoexplainwhyhewassoembarrassedforhelp.Hesaid,IknowI'mhalf-naked,butIhaveareasonableexplanation.WhenIwassleepingonthetrainberth,everythingwasstolen.Usually,I'mgoingtowearmypants,butI'vebeenusedtothetramp'swayoflifelately.Andthepantsareordinarypeopletogotobed.I'mtellingyou,MahatmaGandhiisnotwearingapairofpants,andIndiaisnotunitedtosupporthim.”Inthedialogue,Sheldonviolatestheruleofquantityandprovidesmoreinformationthanthepurposeofcommunication,whichmeansthatalthoughhedoesn’twearpants,heisalsoanordinaryperson,buttheoutputofinformationismorethanwhattheotherpartyneeds,resultinginahumorouseffect.2.1.2LessInformationLessinformationmeansthatonesideoftheconversationexpresseslessinformationthantheothersideneeds,asshowninEpisode16,season8ofBigBang.Clerk:Canyoudescribethisbag?Bernadette:Well,well,it’sblack.Aredribbonistiedtothehandle...Howard:Thegreatestmotherintheworldisintheshoebox!Howard’smother’sasheswerelostintheairline.HeandBernadetteconsultedwiththestaff.Thestaffaskedthemtodescribetheirluggage.BeforeBernadettefinished,Howardcouldn’twaittoadd:“Thegreatestmotherintheworldisinthecompartmentwheretheshoesareput.”Howardactuallywantstoexpressthathismother’sashesareplacedinthecompartmentwithshoesinthetrunk,buttheinformationhegivesisfarlessthanwhattheotherpartyneeds.Oftenatthistime,onesideoftheconversationcan’tunderstandthemeaningoftheothersideintime,becauseHowardviolatesthequalityprincipleinthedialogue,resultinginthehumorouseffectoftheclerk’smisunderstandingofHoward’sinformationexpression.2.2TheViolationofQualityMaximViolationoftheprincipleofqualityisanotherimportantaspectinviolationoftheprincipleofcooperation.Violationoftheprincipleofqualityreferstothefactthattheinformationprovidedbythespeakeriscontrarytowhathereallywantstoexpress,orthatthereisnoreasontosaysomething.Indailycommunication,peoplesometimestellawhitelieoutofpolitenessortoprotecttheirownandothers’faces,whichviolatestheprincipleofquality.Sometimes,theuseofmetaphor,irony,andotherrhetoricaldevicescanalsoberegardedasviolatingtheprincipleofquality.Ofcourse,manyexamplesofBigBangareinviolationoftheprincipleofcooperation.SheltonandHowardmadethefollowingconversationbecauseofalittletrifle.Howard:Hi!Look,IthinkyouandIcantrytobeabetterfriend.Sheldon:Really?I’mthinkingwe’realittleoverdonerightnow.HowardwantedtobeinpeacewithShelton.ButSheldon’sansweristhatwe’realittletoomuch,andhesaidit’stooexaggeratedanduntrustworthy,andhesaidhewouldn’tbelievethatanyaudiencewouldquestionitsauthenticity,sohisanswerwasaseriousviolationofthequalityprinciple.TheaudiencewhosawBigBangknewthatSheltonhadusedtohumiliateHowardandlaughathismaster’sdegreefromtimetotime.Sheldon’sexaggeratedwords,andtheawkwardexpressionofHowardatthistime,haveagoodsenseofhumor.2.2.1IronyIronymeanstoexpresswordsfromtheoppositeside,withakindofironictone.Itisimpossibletounderstandtherealmeaningofthewordsliterally.Infact,theliteralmeaningistheoppositeoftherealmeaning.Itneedstobeunderstoodthroughcontext,asshowninthefirstepisodeofthesecondseasonoftheBigBang.Sheldon:I’veneversleptinanairbed.Idon’thaveanythingonmywaist.Howard:Youprobablywanttosleeponabenchinthepark.Sheldon:Idon’tthinkyoucangetthebenchhere.SheldonmovedoutofLeonard’ssharedhousetojoinhisfriends.WhenhearrivedatHoward’shouse,hehatedHowardforlettinghimsleeponaircushionandcomplainedthattherewasnothingtosupporthimatthewaist.Howardreplied,“youprobablywanttosleepontheparkbench”.Atthispoint,Howardknowsthattheparkbenchesarefarlesscomfortablethanaircushions.HejusthintedthatIt’sbeenbetterthatSheldonhadabedandsuggestedhimnotcomplainaboutthebed.Unfortunately,Sheldondidn’tcatchthemessage.Instead,hesaidhecouldn’tgettheparkbench.Thisisaclearviolationofthequalitycriteria.Thefalseandabsurdanswersleadtoverbalcollision,whichleadstoasenseofhumor.2.2.2MetaphorMetaphorreferstotheuseofaspecificimageofsomethingtoindicateaspecificcharacterorreason,inordertoexpresssincerefeelingsandprofoundmoralmeaning.Thisartisticexpressiontechniquetodescribethingswithspecificimageiscalledsymbolism.It’sinthefirstepisodeoftheeighthseasonofBigBang.Leonard:Thankyouagainforcoming.I’llhavealongwaytogoinsixhours.Amy:Mypleasure.I’mnotangrywithmyboyfriendwhogetsintotrouble.I’llaskyoutoreplaceme.Ilikethisone.Yes,timewillfly.Sheldon’stravelingluggagewasstolen.HecalledLeonardforhelp.Leonardwasdrivingsixhourstopickhimup.LeonardinformedSheldon’sgirlfriendAmytogotogether.Itwasaconversationtheyhadinthecar.LeonardthankedAmyforgoingalltheway“It’smypleasure,”Amysaid,and“I’mnotangryatall.It’sgreatthatmyboyfriendcalledyouinsteadofmewhenhewasintrouble.”Leonardsaid,“well,thesesixhoursmusthavebeenfast”.Accordingtothequalitystandard,peoplerequirethattheconversationbetrue,butAmyandLeonardbothviolatethequalitystandardandsayfalsewords.Amyisfullofresentmentbecauseherboyfrienddidn’ttellherinthefirstplace.Atthesametime,LeonardrealizedAmy’sanger,andtheatmospherewasveryawkward.Heknewthatsixhourswouldbelikedaysinthecar.Intheprocessofdeducingconversationalimplicature,thehearerexperiencesstrongsatireandsenseofhumor.2.3TheViolationofRelationMaximWeoftenviolatetheprincipleofrelationshipintheprocessofdialogue.Inverbalcommunication,sometimesthetopicraisedbyonepartymakestheotherpartydifficulttoanswer,ortherespondentisunwillingtogiveapositiveornegativeanswertotheotherparty’squestion,andoftenchoosesthewayoftalkingabouttheotherirrelevanttopic.Itseemsthattheanswerisnotwhatheasked.Infact,theotherpartyhasunderstoodtherealmeaningandachievedthepurposeofdeliberatelyviolatingtherelationshiprules.2.3.1AllusionTheimpliedmeaningisonthesurface,butinfact,whatthespeakerwantstoexpressisanothermeaning.IntheeighthseasonofBigBang,Episode12,thereissuchanexample.Penny:Idon’twanttospendthewholeday.Playboardgames.Sheldon:Well,youmaychangeyourmindwhenyouhearthatthisisanewextensionthatincludesamorecompletemapoftheMiddleEarth,nowincludingtheharadwisterritory.Amy:I’llreallyracewithyou.AmyandPennycometofindSheldontogoout,butSheldonisaddictedtotablegames,tryingtopersuadethemtostayandplaytogether,saying,“Youmaychangeyourmindafterlistening.Thisisanewexpansionpackagewithamorecompletemapoftheearthworldinthering.Nowit’saddedtohaladewich!”Afterlisteningtoalltheseexplanations,AmywasevenmoreboredandsaidtoPenny,“Ireallywanttocompetewithyouwhowillrushintothecarfirst.”.Amyobviouslyviolatestheassociationrule,whichrequiresthatwhathesaysshouldberelatedtothecommunicativepurpose,andhecan’tintentionallychangeoravoidthetopic.Amy’swordsseemtohavenothingtodowiththepreviouswords,justtocompetewithPennywhorushedtothecarfirst,butbothsidesofthecommunicationunderstandthatsheisinthiswaytoeuphemisticallyexpressherunwillingnesstostayandplaythegame,whichleadstothehumorouseffect.2.3.2ShiftShiftreferstonotfollowingthesamedirectioninthedialogue,findinganotherway,shiftingthetopictoachieveanotherdialogueeffect,asshowninthe16thepisodeoftheeighthseasonofthebigbangoflife.Sheldon:lifewouldbemucheasierifIcouldreadpeople’sminds.Penny:Well,nowIhopeIcanmakeiteasierforyou.Sheldon:Thankyou!Penny:wow,Ijustfeltthiswaveofloveforyou.Sheldon:Areyousureit’snottoomuchbiblicaljuice?SheldonandPennyhadacoupletest.Whentheywereasked,“ifyouwakeuptomorrowmorningandfindthatyouhavesomeability,whatkindofabilitydoyouwant?”Sheldonwantedtohavetheabilitytoreadotherpeople’smindsandexplainhistroubles.Pennycomfortedhimandsaid,“nowIhopeIhavetheabilitytomakeyoueasilyreadotherpeople’sminds.”,andsaid:“Ijusthadastrongfeelingforyou.”.Twopeoplewhoarenotloversimmediatelyfeelembarrassed.Sheldongoesontosay,“areyousureyou’reconfusedbydrinkingtoomuch‘biblicalnectar?”obviouslytoavoidembarrassment.Sheldonshiftsthetopicandviolatestherulesofassociation,whichproducesahumorouseffect.2.4TheViolationofMannerMaximMannermaximrequiresspeakerstoavoidmakinguseofobscurewords,avoidambiguityandbebriefandmethodical,butinordertoachievecertaincommunicativepurposesinlife,peoplewilldeliberatelyviolatetheMannermaximbytalkinginaroundaboutwayorchewingwords,sothatthelistenerhastoderivetheconversationalmeaning,thusachievingtheeffectofhumor.2.4.1AmbiguityAmbiguityreferstoutteranceexpressedinthecourseofconversationtwoormoredifferentmeanings.Therearetwoormorepossibleexplanationsforthesamewordduetovariousreasons,suchasreligionandregion.Thisisthecaseintheepisode23ofSeason8ofBigBang.Mary:Howwasyourflight?Dr.Hofstadter:Verypleasant.Andyours?Mary:Lovely.Almostasifsomeonewaswatchingovertheplane.Leonard’smother,Dr.Hofstadter,isapsychologistwhosniffsatreligiousbeliefs.Sheldon’smother,Mary,isadevoutChristian.Whentheymetandexchangedgreetings,Marysaidthatasifsomeone,protectedusfromthetopoftheplane.ItisobviousthatMaryintentionallyviolatesthemanagermaximwhichrequiresthespeakertoavoidambiguitywhendeliveringinformation.InordertoavoidconflictsandembarrassmentswithDr.Hofstadteronreligiousbeliefs,Maryuses“someone”torefertoGod.Thiskindofeuphemismhasachievedtheeffectofhumor.Inanotherscene,Sheldondidn’tgetoutforalongtimeafterenteringthetoilet,soLeonardaskedSheldonandhadthefollowingconversation.Leonard:What’swrongwithyou?Sheldon:Iradiatedpainfrommynaveltomyrightlowerabdomen.Sheldonhadastomachache,butwhenLeonardaskedhimwhatwaswrong,heansweredsoobscurethathefeltpainfromhisnaveltohisrightlowerabdomen,makingitdifficulttounderstandwhatwaswrongwithhim.ButthisisthewayinwhichSheldonisusedtosaying,sayingalotofpuzzlingwordseverytime,andexpectingpeopletoaskhimquestionsallthetime.BothLeonardandtheaudiencehaveacceptedhiswayofspeaking,andthehumorbroughtaboutbyviolatingtheprinciplesofcooperationiseasytounderstand.2.4.2RepetitionRepetitionmeansthatthesamethingreappears;itisdoneagainasitwas;itissaidordoneagainoragain.Inthedialogue,bothsidesmayrepeattheabovewordsfromdiffer