The Language of Humour

Unit seven

Spoken humour – television and radio

 

 

Television – and radio to a lesser extent – have replaced books as the main source of verbal entertainment. This means that a lot of contemporary humour is spoken and that you are more likely to watch and listen to humour than read it. Even though there are recordings, such humour is generally less permanent than written humour. The programmes that are popular in a given year may well disappear from popular culture within a matter of years. There are exceptions: some may be preserved on audio and video cassette, or be repeated. At the time of writing, Monty Python, for example, has become a comedy classic, but it is difficult to predict the current shows that will have a lasting popularity. ...