TY - JOUR
T1 - The Types and Functions of Humor in the Work of a United States Senator: A Case Study of Senator Edward Kennedy
AU - Garcia, Angela
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - This study investigates the role interactional competence plays in the performance of political roles by examining the use of humor in events such as speeches, election campaign rallies, press briefings and televised news interviews. In this case study of a prominent United States Senator (the late Senator Edward Kennedy), twenty publically available video recordings from the C-SPAN online archives are analyzed using a conversation analytic approach. Two main types of humor were found in these data, self-deprecatory humor and humor that criticizes others. Three main functions of humor were identified (subtle self-promotion, managing challenging political and interactional situations, and creating solidarity with an audience). The results of this study contribute to our understanding of how humor can play a role in doing the work of a Senator.
AB - This study investigates the role interactional competence plays in the performance of political roles by examining the use of humor in events such as speeches, election campaign rallies, press briefings and televised news interviews. In this case study of a prominent United States Senator (the late Senator Edward Kennedy), twenty publically available video recordings from the C-SPAN online archives are analyzed using a conversation analytic approach. Two main types of humor were found in these data, self-deprecatory humor and humor that criticizes others. Three main functions of humor were identified (subtle self-promotion, managing challenging political and interactional situations, and creating solidarity with an audience). The results of this study contribute to our understanding of how humor can play a role in doing the work of a Senator.
UR - https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00095.gar
M3 - Article
VL - 11
SP - 246
EP - 270
JO - Language & Dialogue
JF - Language & Dialogue
IS - 2
ER -