A Manifestation of Stereotypes in Jokes: Relevance Theory

Abstract

A Manifestation of Stereotypes in Jokes: Relevance Theory 1. Introduction This study sets out to explore jokes that are manifested with stereotypes. In today's world, there is increasing interest in problems of cross-cultural communication. In this regard, researchers are beginning to pay attention to components with cultural perspective such as stereotypes and jokes in a linguistic perspective. Stereotypes and jokes are utterances that are given a pragmatic analysis. Pragmatics is a branch of linguistics that deals with language in use and the contexts in which it is used, such as, taking of turns in conversation and how utterances are interpreted. Most jokes in form of anecdotes reflect stereotypes and attitudes within groups of people. Individuals from different ethnic communities in Kenya and beyond have in mind stereotypes of how cultural practices of other groups of people look like. Within a cultural group of people or society, there are stereotypes of their own (in group). At the same time a community (in group) formulates stereotypes about other groups (out group) Brewer, (2001). Since humour is an inevitable part of human life, it is a fundamental aspect of language. According to Chiaro (1992), humour stands out as one of the few attributes that widely apply to all people and all languages globally. Jokes consist of playing or manipulation of language. The adequate interpretation of humour in many cases depends on decoding the real meaning hiding behind contextual actualization of words or phrases that sound the same but have different meanings. Humour means understanding, not only the language and words but their use, meaning, subtle nuances, the underlying culture, implications and unwritten messages. Language is a very common tool used to create humorous situations. Humour is a perception that enables individuals to experience joy even in times of sadness. Humour elicited from jokes is associated more with people, even though the more intelligent animals with basic ability respond to humour (Yus, F., 2008). A joke is an organized group of utterances that work in harmony having a humorous climax. The listener is amused by the speaker, marking the climax of the joke. Jokes are spoken or written with an intention of eliciting humour. Jokes come in different forms such as single word, question and answer, sarcasm, irony and word play. Jokes are used for entertaining friends and on lookers. According to Ritchie (2004), a joke is a short text for a certain group with the aim of producing reactions that amuse. Deaux, (1996) posits that, a joke is a linguistic text that communicates or expresses semantic meaning in spoken or written form. Jokes are not only comical in nature but also deal with serious matters such as sex, politics and death (Norrick, 2001). 1.1. Jokes, Stereotypes and Anecdotes Jokes play a very important role in creating stereotypes. Stereotypes are generalizations that people make about a group of people with regard to observations of a few members belonging to the group (Samover, 2010). T...