|
BOBC |
 |
 |
 |
|
Beers Fägersten, Kristy. "English-language swearing as humor in Swedish comic strips." Journal of Pragmatics 121. (2017): 175–87. Added by: joachim (1/13/18, 6:46 PM) |
 |
| Resource type: Journal Article Language: en: English Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.pragma.2017.10.014 BibTeX citation key: 2017n Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Comic strip, Humor, Language, Sweden Creators: Beers Fägersten Collection: Journal of Pragmatics |
Views: 6/1211
|
| Attachments |
| Abstract |
|
In this paper, I investigate the Swedish, non-native use of English swear words in Swedish-language comic strips. I first consider the established relationships between both swearing and humor, and comics and humor. I propose that swear word usage and the comic strip framework contribute to a mutual feedback loop, whereby the comic strip derives its humor from the use of English swear words, while at the same time the comic strip context, by invoking a play frame, primes the swear word usage for humorous interpretation. Modeling Siegel (1995), I then consider how a code-switch to English serves as a framing device or contextualization cue for humor in Swedish-language contexts. The analysis of a selection of Swedish comic strips draws from the Encryption Theory of Humor (Flamson and Barrett, 2008), and suggests that humor created via the Swedish practice of swearing in English is a function of shared background knowledge that capitalizes on the fundamental incongruity of two discourse systems operating under different norms of appropriateness.
|