A Study of Verbal Humor in Sitcom The Big Bang Theory from the Perspective of Memetics

Abstract

Verbal humor has always been in hot discussion in the academic field recently. The Big Bang Theory is a popular American sitcoms. The show is primarily centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California. The greekiness and intellect of the four men are contrasted for comic effect with Penny’s social skills and common sense. On the basis of the previous study, this thesis tries to analyze verbal humor in sitcom The Big Bang Theory from the perspective of Memetics. Firstly, the article introduces the general definition and features of verbal humor, and gives us a general overview of the memetic theory. Secondly, the article concentrates on the causes of humor generation and the process of humor generation from perspective of memetics. Lastly, the author hopes this article can help us to appreciate verbal humor in English sitcoms.