LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF HUMOUR IN NIGERIAN STAND-UP COMEDIES: A GTVH APPROACH

Abstract

Humour is a statement, action, or behaviour that can make people laugh. However, in some cases, humours attract the opposition reaction, whereby the targets of jokes react negatively as a result of the negative emotions elicited by the comedians. The aim of this study, therefore, is to identify the linguistic strategies used in Nigerian stand-up comedies to evoke laughter. Data were collected from four Nigerian stand-up comedies and analysed qualitatively through the lens of Attardo and Raskin’s (1991) General Theory of Verbal Humour. Findings reveal the use of figurative expressions, especially simile, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, irony and synecdoche, simple, descriptive and active language, as well as slang to construct humour. It was further discovered that the comedians create incongruity, which triggers laughter and douse tension and further used indirect way of attacking their targets. The study concludes that the comedians prevented negative reactions because they did not make the targets of their jokes feel directly attacked. This research provides an insight into the use of humour in the right context to evoke appropriate emotions without triggering the wrong reactions from the audience.