Introduction
This paper deals with an analysis of one episode of the American comedy series Friends and the question whether the constructed conversation used there can be regarded as polite or not. Since this series is very comic, I will look at how politeness and comedy can be combined.
Concerning the notion of politeness, I will mainly stick to the theories of Brown and Levinson and Goffman, give brief summaries of their theories and discuss whether the characters in Friends violate the rules mentioned there in order to gain laughter from the audience.
I have chosen one single episode and will look deeply at several smaller parts of it in order to answer the question if humour can be used with polite behaviour or if they are not able to coexist. My thesis is that, if you are strict in keeping the rules, is not possible to be polite and funny at the same time because funny utterances can only occur in cases of violation of politeness rules.
I will not give a film analysis in this paper. I took the script of this episode and watched it in order to see where laughter is supposed to come, that means to see which phrases are supposed to be funny. These passages are marked in the script (which can be found in the appendix) by an asterisk.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Can humour and politeness be combined?
2.1. The theories of Goffman and Brown/Levinson
2.1.1. Goffman and the notion of face
2.1.2. Brown/Levinson and the FTAs
2.2. Some information on the series
2.3. The analysed episode
2.4. Comic elements in the episode
2.4.1. Insulting causes laughter
2.4.2. Lying causes laughter
2.4.3. Irony causes laughter
2.4.4. Interruption causes laughter
2.5. A comparison to everyday conversation
3. Conclusion
Research Objective & Topics
This paper examines a specific episode of the American comedy series "Friends" to investigate whether the dialogue portrayed within the show can be classified as polite or impolite. The central research question explores the possibility of combining humor with polite behavior, testing the thesis that comedy in this context often relies on the violation of politeness rules.
- Application of Goffman’s face theory and Brown/Levinson’s politeness strategies
- Analysis of linguistic strategies such as insults, lying, and irony
- Examination of conversational interruptions as comic devices
- The role of the audience in interpreting impoliteness as humor
Excerpt from the Book
2.4.1. Insulting causes laughter
There are some passages in this episode in which one character is insulted more or less explicitly and these scenes are accompanied with laughter. Right at the beginning for example, there is Monica trying to make Chandler have sex with her but he is a little bit turned off by her huge hair so that she offers him to “put a pillowcase” (Reich/Cohen, line 4) over her head which is answered by him with “You’re on!” (Reich/Cohen, line 5).
He also gives her unfriendly nicknames like “Buckwheat” (Reich/Cohen, line 76), “Weird Al” (Reich/Cohen, line 73) or “Allen Iverson” (Reich/Cohen, lines 263, 264) (who is by the way a professional American basketball player with braided hair).
Chandler also refers to Ross and Charlie as “dinosaur twins (Reich/Cohen, line 61) because of their profession as palaeontologist.
Phoebe is also using quite frequently insults. She calls Charlie a “tart…floozy…giant!” (Reich/Cohen, line 27) after she found out that Charlie is cheating on Joey. Or she calls Mike’s new girlfriend a “purebreed” (Reich/Cohen, line 371) after she heard that her name is Precious. When talking to her later on, she refuses to call her by that name and decides to call her “Susie” (Reich/Cohen, line 442) which is also very disrespectful.
Chapter Summary
1. Introduction: The author introduces the analysis of the comedy series "Friends" and posits that humor and polite behavior are fundamentally incompatible.
2. Can humour and politeness be combined?: This section provides the theoretical framework, including Goffman's face theory and Brown/Levinson's face-threatening acts, followed by an analysis of comic elements in a specific episode.
3. Conclusion: The author concludes that while these characters exhibit impolite behavior, the audience interprets these violations as humor due to the established social dynamics of the group.
Keywords
Friends, Politeness, Humour, Face-Threatening Acts, Goffman, Brown/Levinson, Irony, Insults, Lying, Interruption, Comedy, Linguistics, Conversation, Social Interaction, Sitcom
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the intersection of humor and politeness within the dialogue of the American TV show "Friends," specifically investigating if characters can be both funny and polite simultaneously.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied in this study?
The study primarily utilizes Erving Goffman’s concept of "face" and the politeness theory developed by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson regarding face-threatening acts.
What is the primary thesis of the author?
The author argues that in the context of this comedy series, it is impossible to be both polite and funny at the same time because comedic utterances consistently necessitate the violation of politeness rules.
What methodology does the author employ?
The researcher uses a script-based analysis of one specific episode, identifying marked laughter points and analyzing the dialogue patterns—such as insults and irony—that lead to these comedic responses.
What main areas are covered in the body of the text?
The body analyzes specific linguistic patterns including insults, lying, irony, and interruptions, while also comparing the sitcom dialogue to real-life everyday conversation.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Politeness, Humour, Face-Threatening Acts, Goffman, Brown/Levinson, Irony, Insults, and Social Interaction.
Why does the author consider "lying" to be a comic element in this specific episode?
The author notes that lying is used by the characters to save face when they are caught in embarrassing situations, and the audience finds this funny because they possess an omniscient perspective on the truth that the characters lack.
How is the concept of "interruption" treated in this analysis?
Interruptions are analyzed as socially impolite acts that prevent a person from maintaining their "face" or desired self-image, yet they are presented as a source of comedy within the show's structure.
- Quote paper
- Steffanie Bauer (Author), 2007, Can humour and politeness be combined?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/154410
