本书属于对言语交流中的幽默致笑的一般机制的探讨，从语言学的视角对动态言语交流过程中的幽默语言进行定性分析，试图用语言学、词汇学、句法学、文体学，尤其是语用学的观点审视和解释心理学的幽默不协调理论，分析重点为公众演说话语语料。

Acknowledgements

导读

Symbols

Chapter 1 Introduction

 1.1 Theories of Laughter and Humor: a Brief Review

1.1.1 Socio-Ethical Implications of Laughter

1.1.2 Laughter from Pleasurable Self-Recognition

1.1.3 Laughter from Mental Relief

1.1.4 Laughter at Incongruity

1.1.5 Laughter of Human and Social Nature

 1.2 Verbal Humor -- Key Notions

1.2.1 The Clock of Humor, with the Long Hand of Wit and the Short Hand of Banter

1.2.2 Humor: Instrumental or Observable

 1.3 The Organizational Framework of the Book

1.3.1 General Description: Verbal Humor, Linguistics, and Public Speaking

1.3.2 Organizational Framework

Chapter 2 Redundancy in Discourse and the Language of Humor in Public Speaking

 2.1 Redundancy, Entropy, and Predictability

2.1.1 Context

2.1.2 Meaning

2.1.3 Form

 2.2 Correlation Between and Inside Meaning Redundancy and Form Redundancy

2.2.1 Correlation of Agreement and Correlation of Contrast

2.2.2 Local Shifts of Entropy and Redundancy

 2.3 The Functioning of Oral Humor in Public Speaking and Discoursal Redundancy

2.3.1 Methods of Public Speaking Presentation and Their Stylistic Features

2.3.2 Possibility of Humor in the Three Presentation Methods of Public Speaking

2.3.3 Locus of Humor and Shared Knowledge vs Redundancy in Discourse

2.3.4 Types of Redundant and Entropic Shifts inside Public Speaking Discourses

 2.4 Summary

Chapter 3 The Incongruity Theory and Situational Observable Humor

 3.1 The Incongruity Theory of Humor

3.1.1 Shared Knowledge Revisited: Incongruities against Shared Knowledge

3.1.2 Incongruities of High Interpretability and Enjoyability

3.1.3 Incongruities and Human Interest

3.1.4 Incongruities as Butts of Laughter: Six Prototypes

3.1.5 Incongruities: a Shrug but Not a Shock

 3.2 Incongruity Reflected in Situational Observable Humor

3.2.1  Uniformed ObsHmr

3.2.2 Mixed ObsHmr

 3.3 Summary

Chapter 4 Form and Meaning Deviation in Humor of an Instrumental Nature

 4.1 Humorous Incongruity through Form Deviation

4.1.1 Sound-Oriented Deviation: Phonetics and Phonology

4.1.2 Lexis-Oriented Deviation

4.1.3 Syntax-Oriented Deviation

 4.2 Humorous Incongruity through Meaning Deviation

4.2.1 Semantics-Oriented Deviation

4.2.2 Pragmatics-Oriented Deviation

 4.3 Summary

4.3.1 More Probable Cancelability of Incongruity in Humor of an Instrumental Nature

4.3.2 Summary

Chapter 5 Public Speaking Humor as Metaphor in Ideational and/or Interpersonal Rhetoric

 5.1 Humorous Metaphor as Rhetoric: Cognitively Speaking

5.1.1 How Intentional Humor is identified with Metaphor

5.1.2 Metaphor and Metaphorization of Language

5.1.3 Between Metaphor and Nonmetaphor

5.1.4 Ideational and Interpersonal Rhetoric

 5.2 Public Speaking Humor as Metaphor in Rhetoric

5.2.1 Meta-Metaphoric Humor: Speaker' s Verbal Self-Reflexive Behavior

5.2.2 Humor as Word-Level Metaphor in a Sentential Frame, or Sentence-LevelMetaphor

5.2.3 Humorous Metaphor at the Discourse Level

5.2.4 Resemblance Proximity in Humorous Metaphors

 5.3 Public Speaking Humorous Metaphor in Ideational and Interpersonal Rhetoric: Some Case Analyses

5.3.1 Public Speaking Humorous Metaphor in Ideational Rhetoric

5.3.2 Public Speaking Humorous Metaphor in Interpersonal Rhetoric

 5.4 Summary

Conclusion

 A.General Summary

 B.General Significance

Bibliography