Abstract
Humor is important in its ability to help people to “think outside the box.” It aids in the conceptualization of ideas that are outside of the framework of accepted norms. In this sense, it is a similar skill to having intercultural understanding and communication. It can also assist in the understanding and deconstructing of social and cultural expectations. It can function as a social lubricant, as well as be an antidote to inter-ethnic tensions, as seen in the successful use of ethnic jokes in a multi-ethnic society like Hawaii. It has also been shown that the type of environment created in the classroom by humor can motivate students, and by doing so contribute to building better teacher-student relationships. Humor promotes mental flexibility, which can help people to first understand, then adopt, new aspects of culture and communication, which can then be further developed through education.
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Notes
- 1.
I have been performing Rakugo in English since 1998, and have performed in more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Australia, Israel, India, Pakistan, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.
- 2.
Humor sometimes creates its own new words in referring to a specific group. In Hawaii, nicknames for each ethnicity are those common words which are shared to make jokes more effective. Yobo is a nickname for Korean people, which comes from the Korean greeting, “Yobo seyo”. Yobo literally means “sweet heart”. Buddah head is a nickname for Japanese people, because many Japanese are Buddhists.
- 3.
IHPT proposes that the recognition of humor will increase students’ attention and recall of class material if the humor is relevant, but students need to perceive and then resolve the incongruity in a humorous instructional message (Dunbar 2014).
- 4.
English textbooks authorized by Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology such as New Crown (Sanseido Publication), New Horizon (Tokyo Shoseki), One World (Kyoiku Shuppan) include Rakugo materials for students to learn Japanese culture and the English language.
- 5.
Indirect speech, or indirect representation, is often expressed using euphemisms to deliver uncomfortable, taboo, or negative messages. It allows speakers to use milder words or non-verbal communication (Kume 2002). A question might be asked purely by indirect reference, leaving interpretation to the listener based on a shared knowledge of the context, whereas a direct question might be considered rude and harmful to the other person’s feelings. Sometimes, when too vague, this communication style leads to misunderstanding.
- 6.
According to Hall (1976), Low Context refers to societies where people tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason. In these societies, cultural behavior and beliefs many need to be spelled out explicitly, so that those coming into the cultural environment, from outside, know how to behave appropriately. High Context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what to do and what to think from years of interaction with each other. People have clear boundaries, less verbal, and more internalized communication. Japan is considered to be a High Context society.
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OSHIMA, K. (2018). Functions of Humor in Intercultural Communication and Educational Environments. In: Curtis, A., Sussex, R. (eds) Intercultural Communication in Asia: Education, Language and Values. Multilingual Education, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69995-0_10
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