“A joke is a very serious thing.” – Winston Churchill
During Tuesday’s class, we discussed the importance of jokes in language. Because jokes are often set in a historical or political context and require background knowledge, different jokes indicate different cultures. Professor Boroditsky provided the following example. The common Navajo joke is “white people like apples.” To understand this joke, people need to have the necessary background. First, they must know that apples are red on the outside and white on the inside. Then, they must connect that piece of information with the historical context – the subjugation of Native Americans by colonizing powers. But by the time the joke is explained, it looses its effect.
In thinking about jokes, I realized that when I attempt to translate jokes from Ukrainian to English, the jokes lose their humor. For a joke to be successful, the listener must draw an instantaneous connection with the elements of the joke, to quickly catch the irony or surprise.
But is it really necessary that we understand jokes in other languages…
YES if you agree with a recent article I read.
The writer elaborated on an anecdote from his friend Ramzeen Azeez, who was told that he was given the Secretary’s post because the others were unable to joke in English. Ramzeen writes: “I was enlightened and lights flashed in the old grey matter: English speaking not only entails proper use of the language but also encompasses its humor.”
In retrospect, it makes sense that the final test of language ability is “the Joke Test.” It is important to understand various jokes. People bond over jokes and jokes are everywhere. English Puns are a cornerstone of English literature. Cultural jokes are prevalent among multi-ethnic communities. I hope that my languages classes incorporate more jokes, because we need to understand the cultures of the places we study…and if we can’t catch on to the subtleties, then the joke’s on us!
I loved the end to his article, so here it is:
“My late mother used to tell me that when someone jokes around, the world laughs with him/her, but if that’s all you do, the world laughs at him/her. The last laugh will reside with the person who can see and be beyond language and language politics, I think.”
Want to test your ability to understand English jokes? Check this out!
http://www.angelfire.com/on/topfen/jokes01.html
And a joke to end my post…
"The problem with political jokes is they get elected."
Article: Humour: the final frontier in language competency?
Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/04/21/fea02.asp
