| dc.description.abstract |
As a performance whose functioning relies heavily on sociocultural rules, humor does
not easily transcend cultural and language lines. In most cases, humor comprehension
requires more than fluency in a language. Linguistic humor in particular can create
challenges for second language (L2) speakers because it demands fluency, as well as
a higher competence of linguistic rules governing how the language is applied. This
study aimed to examine the role that such competence may play in humor comprehension
by determining if fluent L2 English speakers from first language (L1) Mandarin and
French speech communities could understand Standard American English (SAE) linguistic
humor. The findings suggest that comprehension of linguistic humor may be dependent
on sufficient exposure to a speech community, but further research with larger population
sizes is necessary.
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