SOCIOPROFESSIONAL HUMOR AT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LESSONS

Abstract

This article answers the question about the appropriateness of including humorous materials in the English-language disciplines of the educational programs of students specializing in journalism and editorial work. A stylistic, cognitive, and pragmatic analysis of a sample of English-language jokes about journalists and editors is offered. Analysis of the forms of 281 jokes taken from four English-language websites shows that the most frequent forms of jokes about representatives of these professions are question/answer (88,1%), one-liner jokes (7,1%), dialogues (3.6%) and short stories (1%). A review of 18 jokes about journalists and editors considered in this article revealed that, stylistically, the jokes most often used puns, fake enthusiasm, and self-irony. In addition, double entendre, metaphors, paraprosdokian, false argumentation (enthymeme), baphos, rhetorical questions, irony, and comic manipulation are involved. Cognitively, mechanisms of cognitive patterns of extraordinary, easel, distinct contrast, and negative thinking are actively used. From a pragmatic point of view, jokes fulfill the functions of critical thinking, entertainment, acquaintance with the peculiarities of professions, professional and informal vocabulary, detection of humor and irony, relief of psychological stress, motivation for success, creativity, professional confidence, creation of stereotypical images of English-speaking journalists and editors. The inclusion of English-language humorous texts in English-language learning programs seems appropriate because such material expands students' lexicon of professional vocabulary in English, teaches them to actively use several stylistic and literary techniques when creating their English-language content, allows them to quickly recognize the use of humor and irony in English-language texts, improves humorous, intercultural and cultural competence of student journalists and editors.