摘要

幽默语是一种普遍的语言现象,在人们的日常生活中发挥着不可替代的作用。作为一种社交语言，对其恰到好处的使用不仅可以调节紧张、尴尬气氛，更有利于维持和谐的人际关系。然而，中西方不同的文化背景造成了幽默语在运用过程中的差异。本文在借鉴国内外研究成果的基础上，从幽默语的定义、功能、特征等内容出发,比较中西方幽默语在各方面的差异，并就减少跨文化交际中幽默语使用的误解提出自己的建议，以期促进相互了解彼此之间的文化和文化背景，推进交流的顺利进行。

关键词：幽默;  文化;  差异;  跨文化交际

Abstract

Humor language is such a popular phenomenon, which plays an irreplaceable role in our entire cultural life. As a social language of communication, tactful and skillful usage of humor language can adjust atmosphere and maintain harmonious personal relationships. However, due to the potential disparities in culture backgrounds, the usage of humor language varies enormously. On the basis of research of predecessors at home and abroad, this thesis firstly gives a account of fundamental information of humor language including the definition, functions, characteristics, etc. Then it shows differences between Chinese humor language and English humor language in many aspects. Furthermore, it also puts forward the recommendations on violating cultural clashes to promote a better understanding of the cultural background. This is done wherever possible to reduce misunderstandings and smooth the way for exchanges.

Key words: humor language；culture；differences；intercultural communication