Interpreting ‘Filler Pause’ in Interpersonal Communication: A Study of Situational Comedy The Big Bang Theory

Humour as represented vis-à-vis situational comedy in general forms an important aspect of interpersonal communication. Though the reception of humour is often ascribed to personal taste, the extent to which an audience will find something humorous depends upon a multitude of factors, including benchmarks of culture and context. Regardless of the factors, it is observed that situational comedies elicit laughter through non-linguistic strategies. ‘Fillers’ mark one of the non-linguistic strategies of interpersonal communication. These have varied functions in all possible socio-cultural environments as well as in discourse construction. In addition to being universal in nature, ‘Fillers’ also facilitate the interpretation process and understanding. Using Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance Theory (2002), the study examines the selective communication situations with their interpretation process and understanding (cognitive effects) between the characters of American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The article contends that ‘filler pause’ (termed as such in this article) used in a situational comedy have a function to play, namely, they tend to break down the formal barrier in an interpersonal communication and act as a humour trigger.