Abstract:  It is difficult for Chinese audience to understand humor in English sitcoms. In order to solve this problem, this thesis attempts to explore the generation mechanism of conversational humor by applying Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Leech’s Politeness Principle as the basic theoretical framework to analyze how humor is created in Growing Pains, a famous American sitcom. The analysis reveals that the humorous effect in Growing Pains lies in violating some of the maxims of Cooperative Principle and Politeness Principle. This thesis points out the difficulties that Chinese English learners will have in appreciating humors in sitcoms, and it gives some advice to help them better understand the conversational humor in sitcoms, and at the same time, it also helps to improve the audience’s ability to appreciate sitcoms.

Key words: humor; Cooperative Principle; Politeness Principle

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction1

2. Literature Review.1

  2.1 Definition of Humor

2.2 Theoretical Framework

3. An Introduction to Sitcom and Growing Pains4

4. Pragmatic Study on Conversational Humor in Growing Pains5

4.1 Cooperative Principle and Conversational Humor

4.1.1 Flouting the Quantity Maxim 

4.1.2 Flouting the Quality Maxim

4.1.3 Flouting the Relation Maxim

4.1.4 Flouting the Manner Maxim

4.2 Politeness Principle and Conversational Humor

4.2.1 Flouting the Tact and Generosity Maxims

4.2.2 Flouting the Approbation and Modesty Maxims

4.2.3 Flouting the Agreement Maxim

4.2.4 Flouting the Sympathy Maxim

5 Implications.11

6. Conclusion12

Bibliography.15

Acknowledgements16