Arizona State University
Discussion
Started 5 April 2024
Comment on the correlation between Regional Dialects and Social Dialects.
REGIONAL AND SOCIAL DIALECTS
This PowerPoint discusses phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic differences in New England, the South, the South West, California (Valley-Girl, and Surfer Dude), the Borsht Belt (Yiddish influences), Down-East Yankee, Minnesota (Lake Wobegon), Brooklyn, Western, Canadian, and Star Wars (Yoda) regional and social dialects.
The frontier humor of the American West or of Australia tends to be exaggerated: He is so stingy that he sits in the shade of the hackberry tree to save the shade of the porch. His feet are so big that he has to put his pants on over his head. His teeth stick out so far that he can eat a pumpkin through a rail fence. When Slue-Foot Sue married Pecos Bill, Sue insisted on riding his horse, Widow-Maker. Widow-Maker bucked her off and she bounced so high on her spring bustle that she orbited the moon and they had to throw jerky to her to keep her from starving to death. When Pecos Bill died, they marked his grave site with, “Here lies Pecos Bill. He always lied and always will. He once lied loud. He now lies still.”
Joe Barnes was sired by a yoke of cattle, suckled by a she-bear and had three sets of teeth and gums for another set. Nimrod Wildfire was a touch of the airthquake. He had the prettiest sister, the fattest horse, and the ugliest dog in the district. Wirt Staples has a shadow that can wilt grass, breath that can poison mosquitoes, and a yell that can break windows. Mike Fink was a Salt River roarer, a ring-tailed squealer, half wild horse and half cock-eyed alligator and the rest crooked snags and red-hot snappin’ turtle.
Don and Alleen Nilsen “Humor Across the Academic Disciplines” PowerPoints:
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Similar questions and discussions
What is the significance of linguistic humor and language play in the field of TESL?
Linguistic Humor and Language Play
There are many different types of linguistic humor: phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. There are
Oxymorons (Civil War),
Metaphors (raining cats and dogs),
Slang (T’sup),
Allusions (Jiminy Cricket),
Anagrams (George Bush = He bugs Gore),
Chiasmus (Aging is a matter of mind over matter;
if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.),
Enigma (It’s been a strange day.
First, I found a hat full of money,
and then I was chased by an angry man with a guitar),
Eponymy (Gloomy Gus),
Irony (Paglacci is not a happy clown),
Nonsense (T’was brillig and the slithy toves),
Palindromes (Dammit I’m mad),
Synecdoche (“Father, he’s asked for my hand.”
Father responds, “It’s the whole thing, or nothing.”),
and Zeugma (A little song. A little dance. A little seltzer down your pants).
International Society for Humor Studies: http://www.humorstudies.org/
What is the significance of linguistic humor and language play in the field of Linguistics?
Linguistic Humor and Language Play
There are many different types of linguistic humor: phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. There are
Oxymorons (Civil War),
Metaphors (raining cats and dogs),
Slang (T’sup),
Allusions (Jiminy Cricket),
Anagrams (George Bush = He bugs Gore),
Chiasmus (Aging is a matter of mind over matter;
if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.),
Enigma (It’s been a strange day.
First, I found a hat full of money,
and then I was chased by an angry man with a guitar),
Eponymy (Gloomy Gus),
Irony (Paglacci is not a happy clown),
Nonsense (T’was brillig and the slithy toves),
Palindromes (Dammit I’m mad),
Synecdoche (“Father, he’s asked for my hand.”
Father responds, “It’s the whole thing, or nothing.”),
and Zeugma (A little song. A little dance. A little seltzer down your pants).
International Society for Humor Studies: http://www.humorstudies.org/
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Comedians and writers can make a living from writing original jokes, but not all jokes can be copyrighted. A joke must be original, and fixed in some tangible form to be eligible for copyright protection, so jokes that are only uttered verbally are ineligible. Videos, books, and recordings of jokes may be eligible for copyright protection because they are recorded in tangible form. Jokes must also be original.
Minor variations of other people’s jokes are not eligible for copyright protection; also generalized humorous observations might not be eligible. The “Fair-Use” exception to copyright laws allows short excerpts of copyrighted material to be used for educational use, for parody, for scholarly review and similar purposes. Normally only longer jokes, humorous essays, or collections of jokes are copyrighted because other performers could work your jokes into their routines, and claim that they were parodying your jokes.
VOLTAIRE SAID: “It is forbidden to kill; therefore, all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
HONORÉ DE BALZAC SAID: “Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.
JIMMY CARTER SAID: “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.”
What does the law say about the protection of satire, irony, parody, and jokes?
Don and Alleen Nilsen “Humor Across the Academic Disciplines” PowerPoints: https://www.public.asu.edu/~dnilsen/
To what extent is satire legally protected?
Humor in Law and Legal Issues
The Media Law Journal (April 24, 2013) stated, “it’s not that the law clearly protects humorous speech and satire. The question is a bit vexed.” “With cases involving outrageous parody and satire, the path of least resistance has been to find the ‘speech’ non-defamatory as a matter of law.” Satire is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.” The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press states that “Satire and Parody are important forms of political commentary that rely on blurring the line between truth and outrageousness to attack, scorn and ridicule public figures.” “Although they may be offensive and intentionally injurious, these statements contain constitutionally protected ideas and opinions provided a reasonable reader would not mistake the statements as describing actual facts.”
Comedians and writers can make a living from writing original jokes, but not all jokes can be copyrighted. A joke must be original, and fixed in some tangible form to be eligible for copyright protection, so jokes that are only uttered verbally are ineligible. Videos, books, and recordings of jokes may be eligible for copyright protection because they are recorded in tangible form. Jokes must also be original.
Minor variations of other people’s jokes are not eligible for copyright protection; also generalized humorous observations might not be eligible. The “Fair-Use” exception to copyright laws allows short excerpts of copyrighted material to be used for educational use, for parody, for scholarly review and similar purposes. Normally only longer jokes, humorous essays, or collections of jokes are copyrighted because other performers could work your jokes into their routines, and claim that they were parodying your jokes.
VOLTAIRE SAID: “It is forbidden to kill; therefore, all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
HONORÉ DE BALZAC SAID: “Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.
JIMMY CARTER SAID: “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.”
What does the law say about the protection of satire, irony, parody, and jokes?
Don and Alleen Nilsen “Humor Across the Academic Disciplines” PowerPoints: https://www.public.asu.edu/~dnilsen/
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Humor in Gerontology and Aging Studies
In order to commemorate her 79thbirthday, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was an updated version of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music. Here are the new lyrics:
Boxtops and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs, cataracts, hearing aids, glasses,
Polident, Fixodent, false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel…..so bad.
Don and Alleen Nilsen “Humor Across the Academic Disciplines” PowerPoints: https://www.public.asu.edu/~dnilsen/
How important is humor in the aging process?
Humor in Gerontology and Aging Studies
In order to commemorate her 79thbirthday, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was an updated version of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music. Here are the new lyrics:
Boxtops and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs, cataracts, hearing aids, glasses,
Polident, Fixodent, false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel…..so bad.
Don and Alleen Nilsen “Humor Across the Academic Disciplines” PowerPoints: https://www.public.asu.edu/~dnilsen/
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