"In times of crisis, the humorous genres are especially successful because they allow us to release the tensions of everyday problems. The audience comes to listen to a monologue or watch a comedy program on television to have a moment of laughter and pleasure". These are the words of Leonor Ruiz Gurillodirector of the group of research about Irony and Humor in Spanish (GRIALE) of the University of Alicante. The specialist presented a discussion paper at the XIth International congress of General Linguisticsorganized by the Institute for Culture and Society and the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Navarra.

He also pointed out that each language has "its own keys" and that cultures "work differently" in this sense: some, such as the British, use these resources more. As a result, he stressed that the origin of foreign students learning Spanish "influences how they capture humor in this language, how they process it and how they use it in more or less everyday or formal situations".

Precisely, GRIALE researchers try to find out the procedures to make humor in order to transfer them to the class of Spanish as a foreign language language , "so that a non-native speaker can know which ones to use to make a joke, write a monologue or make humor in a conversation".

Double meanings and ambiguity

This group of research distinguishes two types of linguistic keys: the marks, which help to understand humor, and the indicators, humorous elements in themselves. "Among the marks are pauses, ironic intonation... And the indicator that works most clearly is polysemy: double meanings, ambiguity...", clarified the professor of the University of Alicante.

More than 400 experts from 22 countries will participate from May 21 to 23 in the XI International congress of General Linguistics of the University of Navarra, jointly organized by the project 'Public discourse' of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) and the School of Philosophy and Letters. The specialists come from more than 70 campus and institutions of Germany, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, USA, Arab Emirates, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine.

The activity continues the series of biennial congresses held at campus in Spain since 1994 as a space for scientific dialogue and exchange on language and languages.