A Study of Humor in Tan Talks Traffic Based on the Cooperative Principle

Authors

  • Xinyu Wang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/s9nkfb64

Keywords:

Verbal humor, the Cooperative Principle, Tan Talks Traffic.

Abstract

This study adopts the Cooperative Principle as the theoretical framework and examines Tan Talks Traffic, a popular local Chinese traffic-education program, to explore the mechanisms of verbal humor. By analyzing selected conversational excerpts, the study finds that humorous effects in the program are primarily achieved through deliberate violations of the four maxims of the Cooperative Principle. These pragmatic deviations not only enhance the program’s entertainment value but also improve the effectiveness of traffic-safety education by creating a relaxed and engaging communicative atmosphere.

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References

[1] H.P. Grice: Logic and Conversation, Syntax and Semantics (Academic Press, USA 1975), p.41-58.

[2] S. Attardo: Violation of Conversational Maxims and Cooperation: The Case of Jokes, Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 19 (1993) No.6, p.537-558.

[3] V. Raskin: Semantic Mechanisms of Humor (Springer, Germany 1985).

[4] S. Hamdi: Humour Based on Flouting Grice’s Conversational Maxims in Ali Douagi’s “The Star-Gazer”, The European Journal of Humour Research, Vol. 12 (2024) No.2, p.74-86.

[5] J. Ke: Collaborative Innovation of Police Public Relations Communication and Mass Media from the Perspective of Tan Talks Traffic, Public Security Education, (2014) No.7, p.35-38.

[6] P. Chen: A Study on the Brand Communication of Transportation TV News Column under the New Media Environment——Illustrated by the Case of Traffic Light Column of Chengdu TV (MS., Sichuan Normal University, China 2016)

[7] C. Tan: A Brief Analysis on the Path of Tan Talks Traffic Going Viral, China Newspaper Industry, (2022) No.18, p.74-75.

[8] Z. Ling: Innovation Research on Content and Expression of Official Media Communication Under the Background of Self-Media: Taking Chengdu Local Program Tan Talks Traffic as an Example, News Culture Construction, (2022) No.2, p.77-79.

[9] R. Wang: Contextual Construction of City Image in the Program Tan Talks Traffic in the New Media Era, New Media Research, (2022) No.12, p.95-97.

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Published

17-12-2025

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Wang, X. (2025). A Study of Humor in Tan Talks Traffic Based on the Cooperative Principle. Frontiers in Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(12), 53-59. https://doi.org/10.54691/s9nkfb64