LEXICO-SEMANTIC MEANS OF CREATION OF PUN IN SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE JOKES

Abstract

This article deals with the analysis of lexico-semantic means of creation of pun, such as homonymy, polysemy, paronymy and also morphological and syntactical means including re-grouping of syllables inside the phrase. The material of the research comprises Spanish and Portuguese jokes based on pun. The aim of the article is to reveal the main lexico-semantic ways of creation of pun jokes in Spanish and Portuguese. The definition of pun in multilingual resources has been analyzed. To reveal the ambiguity pun context is needed, in which, as a rule, participate two or more people. We define the notion of “pun context” as a created by the author communicative situation of ambiguity, which fulfills the aesthetic function of the comical. Most of the analyzed jokes contain a dialogue of two people who understand the meaning of the phrase in their own way, creating the effect of imaginary misunderstanding, based on polysemy or homonymy of words. It has been stated that regrouping of syllables is among morphological and syntactical means of pun creation. As a result of the analysis of pun creation, we have revealed pseudo-words, which are given pseudo-meanings, based on pseudomotivation or creation of new words on the analogy of word-formation to reach the stronger comical effect. Future studies of pun as a resource of humor are seen in revealing functions of pun in different contexts, such as in Mass Media, songs, literature, and also in the analysis of linguistic means of pun creation on the material of different languages, to state the laws of pun creation. Contrastive studies on the material of a few languages will enable to reveal common patterns of pun creation and differences, conditioned by lexico-grammatical and syntactical peculiarities of the correspondent language systems. Additional studies should be focused on the problems of translation of pun, compensatory mechanisms of creating comic effect to transmit aesthetical category of the comical in the text of translation.