Bilingual Anglo-French humor: an analysis of the potential for humor based on the interlocking of the two languages

Examined are jokes, riddles, & other forms of Anglo-French humor, emphasizing British English. Bilingual humor is defined as the comic effect arising when two languages are related in certain ways. It involves verbal incongruities & ambiguities, & thrives on rule violation in morphology, phonology, semantics, syntax, & pragmatics. Aspects of Anglo-French bilingual humor are (1) code-switching, language errors, & self-repair strategies, (2) franglais, (3) punning, & (4) literal translations. It is important to consider the national traits & sociocultural factors governing at least part of the Anglo-French bilingual humor. From the French-Canadian show "The Heights of Abraham" are humorous examples of phrasal homophony & literal translation. Examples of children's humor are given. 42 References. Adapted from the source document