The humorous effect of routine formulas in Spanish and English televised monologues

Abstract

Abstract The present comparative study investigates the use of multi-word expressions known as ‘routine formulas’ in the humorous monologues of four comedians from four different late-night TV shows in Spain and the United States. The study is framed in the General Theory of Verbal Humor (GTVH) and linguistic phraseology. The study of routine formulas is intriguing due to their overlooked status in discussions, despite their simple semantics. Yet, they play various pragmatic roles, particularly in humor creation and comprehension, which is the primary focus here. The study aims to achieve two objectives: first, to identify the routine formulas present in both Spanish and English and assess their frequency in monologue delivery, and second, to examine how these formulas contribute to humor within the monologues.