Search

Within organizations, the communicative phenomenon of humor is commonplace. Humorous talk is just as important and frequent to regular discourse that takes place between organizational members. In this inquiry we examine humor as a particular way of communicating between members of a small Midwestern United States organization. Specifically, we examine how three functions of humor (i.e., joking, sarcasm, and teasing) are used amongst members during normal business hours (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). Using ethnography of communication, we conduct both fieldwork and interviews discovering that this organization exemplifies humor as a socially constructed phenomenon to complete the typical workday.

ABSTRACT When a new member is trying to gain acceptance into an organization that s/he is working for, it can be difficult as the organization is an unfamiliar place with [...]

This essay defines speech, community, ethnography and ethnography of communication and provides a rationale and justification for ethnography of communication as a methodology. It addresses cultural patterns and systems, and discusses an example of a cultural study. Defining key terms and providing a cultural example aids in learning more about humor in cultural identity, which provides a better connection to the example that is given towards the end of this essay as a way of communicating. Second, this essay distinguishes humor and laughter. Separating humor and laughter not only illustrates the psychological and physiological constructs, but also outlines the characteristics of humor, which exemplifies a distinctive way of speaking to create cultural identity. Third, this essay defines cultural identity as understood by the author. Finally, this essay connects humor as a way of speaking and establishing cultural identity. Specifically, this essay discusses a joke that is used by Asian lndians to refer to Asian lndian Americans (and vice versa) and how this joke splits the two identities (in group/out group).