المستخلص: |
This study examines the differences between Egyptian and American jokes about the coronavirus and quarantine time during the 2020 pandemic. It uses the Semantic Script theory and Conceptual Metaphor theory to analyze the conceptual metaphors used in both cultures. The study focuses on the types of metaphors employed, script violations, humor techniques, cultural factors affecting perception, and shared fears and challenges. Moreover, it attempts to answer the following questions; (1) What are the types of conceptual metaphors that are employed in Egyptian and American jokes? and how far do these conceptual metaphors in Egyptian and American jokes reflect cultural differences? (2) What types of script violations are commonly exploited in Egyptian and American jokes to evoke laughter? and how far are the humor techniques used by both Americans and Egyptians in their jokes different or similar? (3) How do cultural factors affect the perception and understanding of jokes in both Egyptian and American societies? (4) How far do both Egyptian and American jokes reflect the same fears and challenges of enduring a pandemic? To conduct this study a corpus of 32 Egyptian and American jokes was collected and, analysed using semantic script theory, conceptual metaphors, cultural references, and wordplay techniques. Findings show that both humor in Egyptian and American jokes arises from the violation of expectations or norms, drawing on different source domains. American humor often uses societal norms and shared experiences, while Egyptian jokes primarily focus on cultural references and social and historical issues.
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