The sense of humour

[storeynicholas]

Bishop, I am sure that Swark will come back to you anent the last remark!!!
NJS

[Swark]

Bishop sorry i took so long getting back to you. Rab C Nesbitt's humour is defined, to me, by one short scene where his friend is looking for him and you here rab shout "second bin oan the left" and pops out with a half bottle of buckfast. one of my favourite lines was "john major wants to make britain a classless country, he should come to govan we've got no class at aw"

[storeynicholas]

Ah yes, Rab C Nesbitt!! I wonder what his user name is in the LL?
NJS

[Bishop of Briggs]

Ah yes, Rab C Nesbitt!! I wonder what his user name is in the LL?
NJS

It's "C U Jimmy"

[storeynicholas]

"I belong tee Glasgee,
Dear auld Glasgee toown,
There's nothing the matter wi' Glasgee
When it's goin' roound and roound"
NJS

[carl browne]

A key ingredient in humor, I think, is surprise, a sudden diversion from expectations. It is somewhat difficult to divert one's own countrymen because they are so familiar with thier own culture they tend to catch on too quickly. The joke's not nearly so funny when the punchline is expected. People who can divert consistantly are rare, and in the case of, say, Robin Williams, highly paid.

I think that humor from a less familiar culture tends to amuse because its unfamiliarity makes the diversion a little easier. The jokes are funny because you don't know what to expect.

This may be the reason comedians impersonate foreigners, and tell jokes in dialect.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy travel so much. I usually find the locals more amusing than my own countrymen, and certainly funnier than they find each other.

[storeynicholas]

An element of cognitive dissonance is probably a keystone of much humour - including farce.
NJS.

[carl browne]

Ah, yes. You put it better than I did.

[storeynicholas]

Ah, yes. You put it better than I did.

Actually, it was a Lithuanian who explained it to me thus - but, in my own experience, the farce that can derive from linguistic misunderstanding is beyond compare!
NJS

[pbc]

A key ingredient in humor, I think, is surprise, a sudden diversion from expectations. It is somewhat difficult to divert one's own countrymen because they are so familiar with thier own culture they tend to catch on too quickly. The joke's not nearly so funny when the punchline is expected. People who can divert consistantly are rare, and in the case of, say, Robin Williams, highly paid.

I think that humor from a less familiar culture tends to amuse because its unfamiliarity makes the diversion a little easier. The jokes are funny because you don't know what to expect.

This may be the reason comedians impersonate foreigners, and tell jokes in dialect.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy travel so much. I usually find the locals more amusing than my own countrymen, and certainly funnier than they find each other.

I think you hit the main point on the head here. In my experience I've come to understand humor as the result of two incongruous subjects being somehow (cleverly and unexpectedly) joined. The judgement on how humorous the intersection or how clever the execution will depend on the listener, but it is obvious that the nuances within a culture (values, understandings) will have a heavy pull.

This is why some humor transcends language within a larger cultural context (Western) but may not find value in others (Eastern). Humorous quips that are valued over a wide cultural expanse I think often earn a place as wisdom since it must play to the most common and basic of values. As such, they come off as true and accepted or false and offensive (and rejected). The varying degrees of humorous acceptance that jokes enjoy tend to drop out here.

Differences between cultures and languages, as mentioned, are as much a source of humor as a barrier, though. In a cooperative program to help farmers, some Americans found themselves in Romania. One of the Romanian farmers asked his new Texan friend, "So how large is your farm?" The Texan replied,"If I get in my car after breakfast and drive all the way around it, it will be dark before I get back home." After some thought the Romanian responded, "I had a car like that once."

pbc

[Costi]

In a cooperative program to help farmers, some Americans found themselves in Romania. One of the Romanian farmers asked his new Texan friend, "So how large is your farm?" The Texan replied,"If I get in my car after breakfast and drive all the way around it, it will be dark before I get back home." After some thought the Romanian responded, "I had a car like that once."

Later during the day, the Romanian shows his guest around the farm. First they go to the pigsty.
“What, do you call those PIGS?”
“What’s wrong with them?”, the host replies.
“Well, OUR pigs are as big as… those animals there.” says the Texan pointing at the cows in the stable. “What are they?”
“Cows, of course!” replies the host in consternation.
“Do you call those COWS? Ours are as big as elephants and give 100 liters of milk a day”.
Incredulous, the Romanian farmer goes outside, followed by the Texan. The latter notices a pair of large donkey ears showing from behind a brick fence. “What’s that?” he asks.
The Romanian picks up a stick from the ground and throws it at the animal behind the fence: “Bloody hares, they’re everywhere!”.

[whyescalar]

There is another version of that in Australia, about acreage.

Texan finds himself in Queensland. Asks the farmer how many acres he has.

"Ten thousand."

Texan replies he has 100,000.

Texan asks how many head of cattle the man from Oz has.

"Five thousand."

Texan asks, "is that all?" "My 3yo grandson has more."

Kangaroo starts hopping towards them. Texan exclaims, "what in the hell is that?!?"

Aussie responds..."You blokes don't have crickets in Texas?"

[storeynicholas]

These are jokes that even I can remember!

NJS

[Costi]

One of my favourites:

Question: what is the difference between a crocodile?

[storeynicholas]

One of my favourites:

Question: what is the difference between a crocodile?

Give in!!
NJS