Key Terms

Ambiguity Humor: Double meaning of words or Ambiguity humor is a mistake

or clash of different meanings. It often involves double or multiple meanings,
sounds, or gestures, which are taken in the wrong way, or in incongruous way.

Analogy Humour: Analogy is comparisons between two things. When humour

arises due to comparison it is analogy humour.

Context Deviation Humour: This humour arises due to mixing up different kinds
of things and deviating from the context.

Contradiction Humor: Contradiction humor involves verbal contradiction or

contradiction in definition. It may be created by overtly or covertly combining
what are thought to be opposites.

Deviation from Desires: In this type, what is most desired is taken away and the
least desired is offered. In other words desired expectations are not fulfilled.

Deviation from the Familiar: When there is a deviation from familiar humour is
produced. Thus, this could be called the “fallacy of familiarity”. Thus speakers
create humour by making familiar things peculiar.

Deviation from Language: When a speaker deviates from language, deviation

from language humour is created. It could be deviation from formal to informal
language, fallacy of accent, deviation from grammar rules or deviation from
pronunciation etc.

Deviation from Purpose: This type of humour is created by harmlessly

contradicting or deviating from purpose.

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Defense Mechanism Humour: Humour is used as a defense mechanism to avoid
embarrassment, shame or difficult situation. Speaker can opt for illogical,
unconscious or distorted way of speaking acting and perceiving.

Defeated Expectation and Surprise Humor: With defeated expectation humor,

we are led to expect one thing, but are instead given another. Thus, we are
surprised in an acceptable way.

Escape or Release Humor: When a speaker uses humour to avoid something or

wants to escape from difficult situations, he creates escape or release humour.
Thus, this type of humour also involves pleasurable release.

Insight Humour: Insight humor is humor about important rather than trivial
things. Insight humour makes one think beyond what is said.

Irony Humor: Irony humour is saying the reverse of what one means; or the
opposite of what one expects.

Logical Fallacy: Logical fallacy humour deviates from what is intelligible and
logical. Statements which are false, contradictory or confusing are logical
fallacies.

Metaphor Humour: It is combining unlike terms or words from different

contexts.

Pun: Pun is a form of word play that suggests two or more meanings. Thus, Puns
depend on other explanations for their humor. The pun is also a shift of context in
a sense other than double meaning. It shifts our attention from the meanings to the
words and sounds themselves.

Reversal Humour: This type of humour turns a situation, belief, or sentence

around.

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Spontaneous Situational Humour: This type of humour is generated
spontaneously due to a particular situation.

Self Deprecation or Self Humour: This is humor about oneself. We humorously

point out our own faults or mistakes.

Taking Metaphor Literally Humour: We take false statements as if they were

true, or we take metaphors literally. Taking metaphor literally creates myths or
false beliefs.

Unexpected Honesty Humor: When a speaker is extremely honest about what

he/she is ashamed of. This humour is used as a way to escape from being
criticized.

All the humour types have been adapted from Shibles (1998) and

www.drbarbaramaier.at/shiblesw/humorbook/h7a%20begin.html

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