Acknowledgements
Preface
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 What is failed humor?
1.3 Why study failed humor?
1.4 Background
1.4.1 Language and interaction
1.5 Discourse analysis and the study of (failed) humor
1.6 Structure of the book
2 Conceptualizing Failed Humor
2.1 Approaches to failed humor
2.1.1 Superiority/hostility theories
2.1.2 Release theories
2.1.3 Incongruity
2.2 Competence, performance, and failed humor
2.2.1 Failed humor and humor competence
2.2.2 Failed humor and humor performance
2.3 Identification of failed humor
2.4 Data set
2.5 Summary
3 Failed Humor as Miscommunication
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Defining miscommunication
3.3 Sources of miscommunication
3.4 Failed humor as misunderstanding
3.4.1 A framework for understanding failed humor
3.5 Structure of miscommunication and repair
3.6 Summary
4 Triggers of Failed Humor
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Locutionary problems
4.3 Linguistic rules
4.3.1 Phonology
4.3.2 Morphosyntax
4.3.3 Semantics
4.4 Ambiguity
4.5 Pragmatic force
4.6 Message form
4.7 Framing/keying
4.8 Summary
5 Triggers of Failure Specific to Humor
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Joke incongruity
5.3 Joke appreciation
5.4 Joke (meta)messages
5.5 (Appropriate) humor support
5.6 Summary
6 Managing Failed Humor in Interaction
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Speaker management of failure
6.2.1 Preventing failure
6.2.2 Managing failure
6.3 Audience management of failure
6.3.1 Responses to failure due to lack of understanding
6.3.2 Responses to failure due to lack of appreciation
6.3.3 Taking offense to humor
6.4 Final remarks on negotiation of failed humor
6.5 Summary
7 Failed Humor and Society
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Failed humor and social action
7.2.1 Humor for solidarity
7.2.2 Humor, power, and subversion
7.2.3 Failed humor and social norms
7.3 Deliberately failed humor
7.4 Summary
8 Conclusion
8.1 Summary of findings
8.2 Implications for the study of language and humor
8.3 Future research
Appendix A: Transcription Conventions
References
Index