XIII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2021

This article is generally about English humour and not only humour. It is about English irony. You see, the English don't like to boast their patriotism, they think it's indecent but there is one exception and it is their expert use of irony.

The popular belief is that the English have more developed and deep understanding of humor than other nations because their humor is too direct and boring. However the most interesting thing is that many foreigners share this opinion. Although the British have convinced themselves and others of their excellent sense of humour. I don't share that opinion. I believe that one nation should not have a monopoly on humour. As humour is universal so is irony (its component). The whole uniqueness of English humor lies in its distribution and the meaning that the English have given to it. Irony occupies a huge part of English humor so one of the rules of irony is that an Englishman thinks ironically.

Also one of the problems of the English is that it is very difficult to understand when they are joking and when they are serious. – this becomes a huge problem for people doing business with them because - atmosphere filled with jokes may be good for tourists but not for businessmen making multimillion dollar deals.

For those attempting to acclimatize to this atmosphere, the most important 'rule' to remember is that irony is endemic: like humour in general, irony is a constant, a given, a normal element of ordinary, everyday conversation. The English may not always be joking, but they are always in a state of readiness for humour. They do not always say the opposite of what they mean, but they are always alert to the possibility of irony. When The Englishman asks someone a straightforward question-he is equally prepared for either a straightforward response or an ironic one.

One more type of exclusively English kind of humor is understatement. It is a form of irony, rather than a distinct and separate type of humour when the point is about quantity rather than quality. The understatement rule means that a exhausting and painful chronic illness must be described as 'a bit of a nuisance'; a truly terrifying experience is 'not exactly what I would have chosen'; some incredibly breathtaking beauty is 'quite pretty'; an outstanding performance or achievement is 'not bad'; an act of abominable cruelty is 'not very friendly'; the Antarctic is 'rather cold' and the Sahara 'a bit too hot for my taste'.

Needless to say, the English understatement is another trait that many foreign visitors find utterly bewildering and infuriating. This is the problem with English humour. Much of it, including and the understatement, isn't actually very funny - or at least not obviously funny, and definitely not cross- culturally funny. Even the English, who understand it, are not exactly amused by it.