CRACKING THE CROSS-CULTURAL COMEDY CODE: ANALYZING CONTEXTUAL CUES IN HUMOR

Abstract

Humor has been found to play a critical role in interpersonal communication, facilitating friendly relations, and generating positive outcomes. However, its use in intercultural communication poses a challenge due to differences in language and culture between interlocutors. This study examines the effect of contextual cues on the deployment of humor in intercultural communication. The quasi-experimental design compares two groups of international students, with one group watching a video clip of a joke with contextual cues and the other group reading a transcript of the same joke. The study uses a Likert-type scale to measure the level of understanding, delivery, failure, and clarity of humor. The results show that appropriate contextual cues improve the recognition and understanding of humor in a second language, whereas lacking such cues results in humor failure. This finding supports previous research on the importance of contextual cues in humor during intercultural communication. The study also shows that non-verbal cues are more easily understood in intercultural communication than purely verbal communication. The limitations of the study include the small sample size and the need for more sophisticated measures. Future research could examine the effects of contextual cues in intercultural communication through the study of genuine life experiences. Overall, this study has practical implications for improving the accurate perception and appreciation of humor in intercultural communication.