A descriptive study of conceptual metaphors and the influence of novel metaphorical expressions on humor in extended humorous discourse

Abstract

This study is a description of the use of conceptual metaphors and their metaphorical expressions in stand-up comedy routines, implemented by a multimodal approach, both qualitative and quantitative. It aims at identifying the metaphors used in this type of discourse as well as classifying the most recurrent topics used and explained when using a metaphor. It also characterizes the influence of novel metaphorical expressions on the purpose of humor. In order to fulfill its objectives, a literature review of the most important concepts and theories in relation to Conceptual Metaphors and Humor was made. Specifically, the studies proposed by Kyratzis (2003) and Dynel (2009) where a possible explanation of the relationship between metaphors and humor was given. Afterwards, the metaphors found in the scripts of two stand-up comedy routines were analyzed mainly in terms of target domain is source domains and then classified according to their topics. Finally, the comedian’s attributed purpose of humor was studied in the moments where she used novel metaphorical expressions, to see if they contributed to humor. Results suggest that, in an extended humorous discourse, there is not a close relation between novel metaphorical expressions and humor.