MULTIMODALITY OF INCONGRUITY AS COGNITIVE MECHANISM OF CREATING HUMOUR: CASE STUDY OF POLITICAL STAND-UP COMEDY

Abstract

The problem of humour is complex and transcends aesthetic boundaries. Laughter is a product of interactions between individuals, social groups, cultures and epochs, with a far-reaching significance that attracts the attention of various scientific fields. When discussing humour, it is essential to consider the modality, which reflects the speaker’s attitude and subjective expressions. Regardless of genre or style, humour offers an aesthetic representation of the world, created by the author to convey his or her communicative intent and perspective. The core mechanism of humour is incongruity, characterized by inconsistencies with established norms that produce a comic effect. This incongruity is present in all forms of humour, whether oral, written or multimodal, as in stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy uses different modes of expression, including spoken words, body language, facial expressions, gestures and timing, to enhance the comedic experience. Therefore, when discussing stand-up comedy, it’s important to consider the multimodality of incongruity at different levels of expression. The aim of the current research is to describe the multimodality of incongruity as a cognitive mechanism of creating humour in stand-up comedy and to characterize the specifics of incongruity in works of this genre, taking into account its specifics in terms of forms of expression of humour. In order to achieve the research objective, the following research tasks will be carried out 1) to provide the definition of modality as a way of expressing one’s attitude towards the surrounding world; 2) to present the specifics of stand-up comedy as a multimodal genre; 3) to present the idea of multimodality of incongruity as a cognitive mechanism of creating humour using the example of the stand-up comedy genre. The research material of the presented research is the stand-up monologues of George Carlin (2010, 2011), Andy Haynes (2023) and Joe Kilgallon (2019) on political issues. In the presented stand-up monologues, a total of 100 cases of incongruity are distinguished, of which 52% are valorative, 36% are logical and notional, and 12% are ontological. The cognitive nature of comic in political stand-up comedy is examined as a complex phenomenon. Analyzing the multimodal means used to create comedy in this context requires a polyparadigmatic approach that encompasses four scientific paradigms – discursive, linguocognitive, linguopoetic, and nonverbal communication analysis. Such a comprehensive methodological approach enables a deeper understanding of this complex and multifaceted subject matter. The research indicates that humour creation via cognitive mechanisms like incongruity is a phenomenon spanning multiple modes within the stand-up comedy genre. Multimodality encompasses the evaluation of utterance content by the speaker, as well as the subject’s relationship to the action, with multiple semiotic modes coexisting in a context that shapes the essence and conveys the speaker’s attitudes. Standup comedy requires both verbal and non-verbal communication, making it a multimodal form of performance where a single performer engages directly with the audience. The core mechanism for creating humour in this genre is incongruity, which stems from contrast and deviation from norms, including ontological, logical, notional, and valorative incongruity. These types of incongruity are commonly used in political stand-up comedy, making it a unique and dynamic form of entertainment. Value incongruity, which is the primarily employed method (52%), exposes disparities between political realities and established social norms. Comedians utilise various linguistic techniques, including generalisation, rhetorical questions, metaphors, repetitions, and parallelism, alongside extralinguistic methods such as voice modulation and facial expressions, voice tone, pauses, different kinds of intonational contrast, body language to establish incongruity of this nature. Logical and notional incongruity (36%) highlights the irrationality of politics and voter’s reasoning, using rhetorical questions, citations, and certain tone of voice and facial expressions. Ontological incongruity refers to the introduction of imaginary elements which violate the rules of existence and are used to emphasize absurdities. Although less frequent in political stand-up comedy, it can still be used to highlight absurdities, such as the ritual of swearing on the Bible in a formal setting. It is shown that the scenic characteristics (positive or negative character, colours, decor), the way of dressing are also essential, because they all contribute to the creation of humour based on the image of the speaker. Comedians utilize intertextuality and their delivery style to create and emphasize this form of incongruity. In conclusion, political stand-up comedy utilises different forms of incongruity to deride social conventions, reveal political absurdities, and generate amusement. Both linguistic and extralinguistic elements are important tools for comedians in creating incongruity, making political stand-up comedy a multimodal phenomenon.