The Use of Humor as a Pragmatic Device in Indonesian Studium Generale Lectures

Abstract

This paper concerns the use of humor as a pragmatic device in academic discourse. The previous studies in this area has shown that, though unlikely, humor is commonly used in academic discourse—both that of written and spoken nature. Among many aspects analyzed in the studies of academic discourse, some are related to academic cultures. With a deliberate consideration of this existing body of literature, this research aims to contribute in area by examining the use of humor in a specific academic environment, Indonesia. The data analyzed are selected transcripts from chosen YouTube videos of studium generale lectures by three Indonesian political figures. The usage of humor will be identified and analyzed pragmatically, and further classified on a table based on the classification of humor by Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Grey & Weir (2003). The findings of this study show that in Indonesian studium generale lectures, all four types of humor in the theory occurred, and the most frequently used type of humor is aggressive humor, to which offensive jokes belong.

Keywords

• studium generale
• pragmatic device
• academic discourse
• humor
• classification of humor