Abstract:

As a unique language art, humor connects with people’s daily life tightly. The research to humor is no longer limited in the verbal expression and written literature. More and more linguists set their foot in the humor created from sitcoms. Friends is a classic American sitcom whose influence is still continuous today. The Big Bang Theory is a new sitcom that is popular among young people. This thesis comparatively analyzes the humor strategies utilized in sitcoms in accordance with the Cooperative Principle in the method of case study and regards Friends and The Big Bang Theory as object. The purpose is to conclude the humor strategies used in sitcoms and to find out the similarities and differences. It will help us to understand humor and Cooperative Principle more specifically as well as to communicate with Americans well.

Key words: humor; sitcom; Cooperative Principle;

摘要：

幽默作为一种独特的语言艺术与人们的日常生活紧密相连，而对于幽默的研究已不再仅仅局限于口头表达与书面形式中，中外诸多学者将目光投向情景喜剧。《老友记》是美国情景喜剧的经典之作，其影响直至今日，《生活大爆炸》则作为近几年播出的情景喜剧广受观众喜爱。本论文通过案例分析法，从语用学中合作原则的角度对情景喜剧中的幽默策略进行研究，将《老友记》和《生活大爆炸》作为研究对象进行对比分析，总结出美国情景喜剧中所常用的幽默策略，并找出美国这十三年来其中的相同于不同之处，从而加深我们对幽默的认识，帮助我们更好地与美国人交流。

关键词：幽默; 情景喜剧; 合作原则

1. Introduction
Sitcom, a kind of performance form of comedy, is also called situation comedy. It entertains people with its rich forms and humorous techniques. What makes people laugh is a new field deserved to be study. More and more linguists set their foot in the humor produced from sitcom and most of them use Cooperative Principle and Politeness Principle as reference.