Conversational Humor in Intercultural Communication

Abstract

This study identifies failed attempts at conversational humor that were either not appreciated or resulted in impoliteness as produced by English as a lingua franca (ELF) users from the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Indonesia, and Myanmar who were engaging in intercultural communication. Moreover, the factors that caused these failed attempts at conversational humor are discussed. Dyadic conversations using ELF that occurred in daily life were recorded by nine pairs of participants who had different linguacultural backgrounds, which were then analyzed using conversation analysis from the interactional sociolinguistic perspective. The results reveal that failed attempts at conversational humor occurred in these intercultural communication contexts. The conversational humor that the participants did not appreciate resulted from several different factors. First, the participants' limited English levels prevented their clear presentation and complete understanding of the conversational humor. Second, the individuals’ insufficient intercultural awareness and critical intercultural awareness caused the failed attempts at conversational humor. Third, teasing as a form of humor that included potential criticism and disparagement of the hearer's culture sometimes caused the hearer to not appreciate the humor or led to it being perceived as impoliteness. As individuals have different preferences regarding humor and impoliteness, teasing in humor should be used carefully in intercultural communication.