This research examines the way in which gender identity is revealed in language practice and explores its theoretical and practical implications. More precisely, this article aims to explore some of the interesting ways in which female standup comedians use different speech styles marked by gender to deconstruct their imposed gender roles and, hence, reconstruct their identity as a sort of resilient process. We argue that the gendered speech styles in humorous discourse may be used regardless of the speaker's sex to reassert one's identity and break with the boundaries and constraints inflicted by society. In this sense, our purpose is to verify the hypothesis that planned humor discourse is the means comediennes use to perform unconventional gender identities and subvert the normative standards. For this aim, our study collects a corpus that comprised 15 monologues by seven famous north-American and British stand-ups such as Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Kristen Shaal, Ellen DeGeneres or Bridget Christie. These monologues were transcribed and divided into humorous sequences, in order to examine the function of the different speech styles when using role-play and its relation with the humor styles proposed by Martin et al. (2003). They served to account the most prominent discursive features. The analysis of the effects achieved in relation to the construction and deconstruction of gender identity, as well as the study of the linguistic and paralinguistic elements used to trigger the comic effect has allowed us to prove tha the use of a certain gendered speech style in a humorous discourse can act as a sociopragmatic device not for breaking with sex roles stereotypes, but also for reinforcing and perpetuating some gender clichés.

La presente investigación analiza la función de la atenuación en el monólogo humorístico representado por las cómicas españolas de la actualidad. Partimos de la hipótesis de que la atenuación es una de las estrategias discursivas empleadas por las cómicas que emplean un humor subversivo, ya que el uso de la atenuación en un contexto humorístico permite que el hablante pueda tratar, con mayor facilidad, temas o asuntos que en principio podrían resultar controvertidos o problemáticos. Con el objetivo de verificar tal conjetura, este estudio recoge un corpus de 15 monólogos humorísticos representados en salas y teatros españoles durante los años 2017 y 2018. La transcripción y segmentación de dichas muestras nos ha permitido extraer la frecuencia de uso de las distintas tácticas y procedimientos lingüísticos de atenuación empleados en el discurso humorístico subversivo, así como examinar las funciones que cumple la atenuación como estrategia pragmática. Los resultados obtenidos certifican que las humoristas españolas analizadas recurren a la atenuación y, por tanto, se distancian lingüísticamente del mensaje, para poder acercarse –o no alejarse demasiado– de su público.

This paper aims to explore subversive humor in Spanish stand-up comedy by analyzing the work of two well-known Spanish female comedians, Eva Hache and Patricia Sornosa. In order to reach this goal, a corpus of these comedians’ performances has been collected, comprising a total of 25 monologues, which have been divided into humorous sequences, which come to a total of 76 in the corpus of Eva Hache and 37 for Patricia Sornosa. The qualitative and quantitative analysis has focused on subversive humorous sequences, which has shown that only 22.38% of the sequences from Eva Hache’s comic monologues are mainly built around subverting the status quo, whereas Patricia Sornosa challenges the heteronormative discourse in most of her sequences (87.93%). Further, in this case study, we have examined the main linguistic techniques they use when challenging the heteronormative standards, namely the topics, targets, discourse strategies and linguistic cues used to generate a subversive effect. Findings show that both comics use subversive humor but in different ways because of contextual constraints. Whilst Patricia Sornosa offers an overt critique, Eva Hache disparages in a subtler manner even when teasing and undermining male power.

En la presente investigación, analizamos el papel del tabú como un elemento clave en el discurso humorístico subversivo para la transgresión de lo establecido (Mintz, 1985). En este sentido, partimos de la hipótesis general de que las cómicas analizadas conceptualizan tabúes relacionados con su identidad de género, por medio de eufemismos, disfemismos y ortofemismos, para romper con ciertos roles asociados a la mujer. Además, como segunda hipótesis de partida, creemos que el porcentaje de temas tabú está estrechamente relacionado con el estilo humorístico individual de cada cómica y que, por tanto, nos encontraremos con cifras muy dispares. Así pues, el presente trabajo examina la expresión del tabú por medio de la comunicación ortofemística, disfemística y eufemística en un corpus de análisis que recoge 15 monólogos segmentados en 504 secuencias humorísticas y que han sido representados por 15 monologuistas españolas. Los resultados de este estudio confirman que la comedia en vivo aporta el espacio público y social ideal para transgredir tabúes y, en el caso de la comedia femenina subversiva, sirve también para romper con algunos estigmas relacionados con la identidad de género.

This research examines the role humorous planned discourse plays in the construction of gender identity. The main aim is to explore some of the distinct ways in which Spanish female stand-up comedians use humor language and gendered speech styles in direct discourse to deconstruct their imposed gender roles and subvert the heteronormative notions of femininity and masculinity. We depart from the hypothesis that speech styles are used regardless the sex in order to cause certain effects both comical and social. So as to corroborate this idea, our study gathers a corpus which comprises 10 monologues by Spanish stand-ups, performed in Spanish theatres and pubs in the span of time of 2017 and 2018. These monologues were transcribed and divided into humorous sequences in order to examine the main function of the different speech styles and their relationship with the humor styles proposed by Martin Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray and Weir (2003). The analysis of the effects obtained in relation to the construction and deconstruction of gender identity as well as the account of the most prominent linguistic elements employed, have allowed us to prove that the use of gendered speech styles is a discourse device not only for breaking with sex roles but also for reinforcing and perpetuation some gender clichés.