Abstract

Humour is a very broad and well-researched area. ¹ Studies of humour range from those attempting to explain what we find amusing and why, through those examining the functions of humour, to those providing typologies identifying different categories of humour. ² There is also a considerable amount of research examining linguistic features of humour (e.g. Attardo, 1994, 2001; Görlach, 2000; Norrick, 2003; Kotthoff, 2006; Morreall, 1991; Raskin, 1985, 1987; Ross, 1998). However, relatively little research has focussed on the way humour is interactionally achieved in spoken discourse; even less has examined humour in workplace discourse, and very few researchers have examined the way different ethnic groups use humour in the workplace, which is the focus of this chapter.