b. Spontaneous Conversational Humor
Spontaneous conversational humor is more context-dependent than joke- telling, and is therefore often not as funny when recounted afterwards. Long and
Graesser in Martin 2007: 13 identify eleven categories of spontaneous humor, based on the basis of their intentions or uses of humor.
1 Irony
Irony is a factual or an embellished statement in which the opposite of what is stated is really meant Rybacki, 1991: 314.
Dr. Cristina : Look, the problem is estrogen.
Dr. Grey : No, the problem is tequila.
Datum 9 This debate dialogue is set in the hospital at the morning between Grey
and Cristina after being drunk at that night. They debate on the problem that should be blamed for all of the mess up happened in Cristina love life. Cristina
blames estrogen supplies in her body because of pregnancy; Grey blames tequila that they drank too much last night.
The medical terminology obtained is “estrogen” hormone. The type of the humor is an irony. They blame another things as the reason of the problem
Cristina gets, whereas, actually the root of the problem is from Cristina herself who cannot be professional in work. Therefore, it is such an irony, a statement in
which the literal meaning is opposite to the intended meaning. The function is social management. The other irony found is down below.
Dr. George : Why are you yelling at me? Dr. Cristina: Because of the estrogen, George
Datum 16 Datum 16 also has a theme ab
out Cristina’s pregnancy. Everytime she did something wrong, she blames her estrogen hormone that produces too much
during her pregnancy and changes her mood and emotion easily. However, the real cause is heartbroken for breaking up with Burke. She applies the medical
hormone “estrogen” to be the irony remark. In addition, the function is mediation since she uses humor to carry out potentially aggressive interactions to George.
The utterance said by a doctor here is also the irony employed in the drama. Dr. George: You have a better patient than me and you dont even have a
patient, Cristina. Greys got a CF case. Alexs got the gunshot wound.
Izzies got the mystery arrhythmias. Im not a nanny.
Datum 49 The context of this protest by George is when all of the interns gets
appropriate work to do except Cristina who is being a patient. He mentions the case that his friends get, one by one, meanwhile he emphasizes that he is not a
nanny. The disease terms “CF”, “gunshot wound”, and “arrhythmias” are used as
comparison to the case that George gets. The type belongs to irony because this statement has an opposite to the
intended meaning. George says he is not a nanny to highlight that he is being a patient’s nanny a whole day long and is jealous to his friends. He does not do any
medical test or operation, but stays beside a patient all day long just like a nanny. Lastly, the function is as a social management.
2 Sarcasm
Sarcasm overt irony is intentionally used by the speaker as a form of verbal aggression Hayman, 1998: 20. The first example of sarcasm is in this
dialogue between the intern doctor and his resident. Dr. George: Oh. So, you and Joe?
Dr. Bailey : All you people ever think about is how to get into somebodys
pants. Youre nasty. Thats why you got syphilis.
Datum 5 George is curious about Bailey relationship with Joe since they are close
enough each other. However, Bailey is annoyed by George’s innocent question so she mentions that what in George mind is about love and sex, thus he gets
syphilis . The medical term chosen is “syphilis” which is a venereal disease which
spreads slowly from the sex organs to all parts of the body. This sarcasm is performed to make George aware not to annoy her and the purpose is to
intentionally insult George to shut up. The function is social management for using humor as an embarrassment tool in a social group interaction. Another
example is provided in Datum 12 Dr. Derek: Then from that point on, she no longer existed to me.
Dr. Grey : You had marital amnesia.
Datum 12 Derek tries to win Grey’s heart by telling that he chooses her than his wife
whom he has no longer feeling with. Unfortunately, Grey does not believe on his sweet words. She replies using a sarcastic word that Derek might suffers a disease
called marital amnesia.
Actually there is no term “marital amnesia” in the medical dictionary. This
disease is a fake illness Grey mentioned to mock Derek. However, it can be described that marital amnesia is a kind of amnesia which is forgetting the
marriage life Derek experienced. On the other hand, it means that there is nothing between him and his wife now. Grey answers it in a rude and sarcastic way as a
rejection to Derek and the function is social management. This example below is the last example of sarcasm.
Dr. Cristina : If it were up to me---
Dr. Bailey : Think like a surgeon.
Datum 15 Cristina wants to defend herself, however before she finishes her words
Bailey interrupts by giving a direct warning. This is because Cristina puts too much personal feeling on surgery. Hence, Bailey uses sarcasm because she says it
in a firm and direct way. She says “think like a surgeon” to remind Cristina that she is a surgeon who has a responsibility to perform a medical operation and not
to intervene a patient’s personal problem. The function is for mediation because
the critic is said to make Cristina does better in her job.
3 Overstatement and Understatement
Overstatement is also known as hyperbole. Hyperbole is saying more than what is necessary. It can be used by a speaker to flout the maxim of quality
Cutting, 2002: 38. The three examples of data finding are below.
Dr. Derek: Unless you are one of a handful of surgeons in the world who knows how to separate fetal blood vessels. Which,
luckily for you,
I am.
Datum 6
The utterance in Datum 6 is set in one of patient’s room. There is a patient who is afraid of being operated because the possibility of success or die is quite
same. Then, Derek as the surgeon who will operate him tries to convince him not to worry because he is a skillful surgeon. However, he says this in exaggerating
utterance to get the patient feel save and comfort on him. Thus, the type of humor is overstatement because Derek employs
exaggeration related to how skillful he is in a surgery. The medical term is “surgeon”. This humor also has an intention in social management. Furthermore,
the researcher puts another example here.
Dr. Grey: Endorphins are good. Endorphins are mood elevators. This
is supposed to make us feel better. Datum 19
This conversation uttered when Grey and Cristina do jogging at early in the morning before going to work. On the way of running, both of them talk about
their tragic love stories. Because they are in desperation, Grey tries to motivate herself and Cristina by exaggerating
the “endorphins”, substances in the body that reduce pain and create a feeling of well-being that they will obtain from jogging.
The medical term of hormone “endorphins” creates an overstatement as Grey exaggerates that endorphin is such a mood elevator to change her mood
better. Then, social management is the function. The last findings proposed to discuss is the conversation below.
Dr. Grey: Shes fine. Dr. Izzie: Too fine. Shes cold. No,shes hardcore. Shes got ice in her
veins.
Datum 32
This is a conversation between Grey and Izzie at the hospital after Cristina leave the on-call room. They talk about Cristina condition after losing her
boyfriend and baby at the same time. Grey believes that she is fine, however, Izzie shows her offence on how cold and ignorant Cristina is. To make it more
dramatic, she chooses an exaggeration as an overstatement humor by saying that she got an ice in her
“vein”. It is the illustration that Cristina has ice that has carried over her body which makes her cold. The ice is just like blood that normal
people have in the vein. Of course there will be no this kind of disease in reality, therefore it is belongs to an overstatement. The purpose of the humor is social
management.
4 Self-Deprecation
It has a humorous remark by targeting oneself as the object of humor. This humor includes
highlighting the flaws on one’s body, speaking of past failures, and acknowledging one’s mistakes. The researcher presents the one and only
finding of self-deprecation below. Dr. Grey
: Details. Youre pregnant? What are you gonna do?
Dr. Cristina : Look, you know what happens to pregnant interns. Im not switching to the vagina squad
or spending my life
popping zits. Im too talented. Surgerys my life.
Datum 2 The conversation between Grey and Cristina above is occurred after
Cristina tells to Grey that she is pregnant. Thus, Grey who does not know what to do to help her asks her future plan because an intern is not allowed to be in
pregnancy during a residence. Cristina who is in a confusion answers without
hesitation that she cannot leave surgery. She still wants to be a surgeon, but she does not know what to do to the baby in her belly.
The use of medical term is the anatomy, part of human body “vagina” which she blames as the cause of her pregnancy. Here, she uses a self-deprecation
because she targets herself as the humor object because of a confusion she has by saying that she will be nothing if she leaves the surgery field. The function of this
humor is social management.
5 Teasing
It is a humorous remark directed at the listener’s personal appearance, habit, and characteristics. Unlike sarcasm, the intention is not to seriously insult or
offend Long and Graesser in Martin, 2007: 13. The first example found is below.
Dr. Grey : She likes you. Dont let the syph get in the way.
Dr. George : Its not the syph.
Datum 17 There is a beautiful nurse who has a crush on George, however George
does not accept her feeling. It happens on the hospital cafeteria when the interns are ha
ving their lunch together and then George tells that he rejects a nurse’s feeling toward him. Grey thinks that the rejection might be because of his illness-
syphilis that George suffers. She does not intend to insult him, but just to tease him as he has been being a single for quite a long time. Therefore, there is a
disease term “syph” to create a teasing humor as a humorous remark directed to George’s personal illness. Meanwhile, the function is social management as a tool
to facilitate in-group interaction. The second data from findings is uttered by the patient below.
Patient : A cholecystectomy turned into a month-long stay.
Dr. Bailey : Better not be alleging malpractice.
Datum 41 In datum 41 above, Bailey is having a chit chat with a patient that has
already close to her for years. When the patient tries to relieve the tension of being examined by Grey, he reminds a nostalgic accident happened when Bailey was
being an intern. She ever did a mistake that turns his short time-curable disease becomes a month-long staying at the hospital. Therefore, Bailey answers not to
claim her mistake as a malpractice. Bailey
’s answer by teasing the patient, therefore it is called as a teasing humor
using medical terminology. “Malpractice” as medication process of a failure to operate correctly or that often causing injury or loss is employed to
achieve the humorous intention. This conversation is performed a humor to calm a patient down and to relieve the anxiety between them, therefore the function is
social management. Next, this is another teasing humor analyzed by the researcher.
Dr. Grey: You lost a fallopian tube, a baby, and a boyfriend all in one day.
You have the right to be upset.
Datum 47 Cristina has been operated after being collapse because of her pregnancy.
She lose her boyfriend before the operation, then she also lose the baby and her fallopian tube in her womb. Grey as her best friend teases her in this utterance to
let Cristina expresses her sadness in order to feel relieved because Cristina pretends to be strong and too cold.
A humorous remark is directed at Cristina’s personal characteristics, but
unlike sarcasm, the intention is not to seriously insult or offend. Therefore, it belongs to teasing humor.
The term of anatomy “fallopian tube” is used to emphasize that Cristina has done an operation to cut the tube in her womb and
take her baby. The function is mediation as a tool to carry out possibly embarrassing interaction.
6 Replies to Rhetorical Questions
Giving an answer to the speaker means that she violates a conversational expectation and surprises the addressee who posed the question. This can
therefore be perceived as funny, and the intention is usually simply to entertain a conversational partner. There are the three examples chosen to be discussed in
detail below. Dr. Grey
: What did he do now? Dr. George
: Maybe he gave the chief syphilis.
Datum 35 The conversation in datum 35 takes place when Bailey, Karev, Grey, and
George are on the way passing the corridor to examine patients. Karev asks to Bailey why he has to meet the chief, however Bailey answers him in a rude way.
Therefore, Grey wonders why Karev has to meet the chief. George applies humor using disease term “syphilis” to answer this
rhetorical question that actually no need to be answered . He mentions Karev’s
illness that is syphilis that might infect the chief. Giving an answer to Grey’s
rhetorical question means that George violates a conversational expectation and surprises the person who uttered the question. This can therefore be perceived as
funny thing to them since the intention is simply to entertain Grey. Therefore, the function is social management. A further example is in below.
Dr. Grey : You must be in pain. You should take something.
Dr. Cristina : Drugs are for babies.
Datum 55 Datum 55 shows that Grey tries to convince Cristina, who has got an
operation, to take her medicine. On the other hand, Cristina who feels already strong enough to go back to work thinks that she needs no more drugs or
medicine. Thus, she refuses by saying that drugs are for babies. It means that drugs are just for the weak ones, not a strong adult like her.
“Drug” is another term to say medicine which can be in tablet, pill, liquid, or powder. Then, the function is social management. The type is reply to
rhetorical question since Grey’s question is not asked with the expectation of a reply. This humor surprises Grey who posed the question because of the
unexpected reply. The last but not least data chosen from findings is in this following conversation.
Dr. Addison: Richard, breathe. Dr. Richard : Dont tell me to breathe. Ill breathe if I want to breathe.
Datum 56 Richard as the chief of surgery faces a hard time because of the problems
on hospital generator. Addison, as the subordinate a nd also Richard’s close friend,
tries to calm him down by asking him to breathe in and out so he can think logically. However, Richard who is in confusion replies the order by yelling at her
not to order him to breathe cause he thinks that he knows what to do. Richard puts medication term “breathe” to answer the rhetorical question
uttered by Addison that tells him to breathe to be calm down. This reply to rhetorical question belongs to social management as a tool for rejection.
Meanwhile, Addison is being surprised for not expecting that he will yell as the
reply of her rhetorical statement. 7
Clever Replies to Serious Statements
This means clever or unusual replies to a statement or a question that is meant to be serious. The statement is usually misconstrued so the speaker replies
with a meaning other than the intended one. Unfortunately, the researcher just found two data of this humor. It can be concluded that the humor type of clever
replies to a serious statement or a question is the minor type of humor performed by the characters in
Grey’s Anatomy Season 2. An example of clever reply to a serious statement is presented in the following.
Dr. Derek: Just because she offered her services doesnt mean she intends to
stay. Dr. Grey : Well, what does it mean?
Dr. Derek: It means that shes a good doctor.
Datum 45 Grey needs a confirmation from Derek about her wife who keeps staying
at the hospital where Grey and Derek work in. After choosing Grey rather than his Wife, Derek believes that Addison will give up and back to her home, however
there is a case that she should do so she should stay longer. Then, Grey is worried of being in one work place with Derek’s wife. However, Derek convinces Grey by
explaining that Addison does not intend to stay permanently. Maybe she has another intention in Seattle Hospital which is not Derek and it can be just because
she is a good and caring doctor. The function is social management.
The term “doctor” is applied to answer Grey’s serious question. Of course Derek’s positive comment about Addison
makes Grey becomes more worried since she asks the question seriously. Derek intentionally answers by turning the conversation to avoid a fight related to his
wife that wants to stay longer at the hospital. His statement is deliberately misconstrued so that Grey accepts the meaning other than the intended one.
However, she becomes angry and just goes passing him. This conversation below is the second and last finding on clever reply to serious statement.
Dr. Richard: Oh, no you didnt. You lost her again? Again? Dr. George : I am a surgeon. A surgeon
Datum 52 Richard intends to see the patient whom Richard know, then he sees
George running in the corridor. In datum 52, it is presented that Richard asks George whether he loses his patient again because he is worried to the patient.
However, rather than answering to Richard’s question, George who feels exhausted of being like a nanny for the patient prefers to reply a misconstrued
statement so that Richard gets the meaning other than the intended one he expects. George says
his medical position in hospital as “surgeon” twice to remind Richard
that he is a surgeon that should do medical operation and not to be a nanny. Then, the function is social management.
8 Double Entendres
It is a statement, which is deliberately misperceived or misconstrued, to evoke a dual meaning. Several findings are chosen to be discussed below.
Dr. Derek: Im well aware of Richards recovery time. Im the one who operated on him, remember?
Dr. Burke: I do. You operated. He survived and chose me to take over while recruiting your wife.
Dr. Derek: Clearly, he has brain damage.
Datum 1 The conversation above happens between two senior doctors who compete
each other to be the chief of surgery. They have a quite high-tension conversation related to their chief who is being a patient of one kind of brain damage disease.
Moreover, Burke asks about Richard condition. Derek emphasizes his answer that he is the one who does operation on Richard, so he is well aware of Rich
ard’s recovery. However, Burke also has something to be proud to mock Derek; Burke
is chosen as the temporarily chief. In addition, Derek’s wife is also recruited while Derek saves Richard’s life. Thus, Derek highlights Richard’s disease as a cause of
Rich ard’s unexpected decision.
“Brain damage” belongs to the disease term which is related to injury that happened at the brain. Derek ma
kes Richard’s mistakes clear by saying that Richard has a brain damage. It means not only the real brain damage or tumor in
his brain but also the damage in his thought because of choosing Burke as the chief which is an unexpected decision. The type of humor is double entendres
since it uses the word “brain damage” in different meaning not the real use in medical. Then, the function is social management. The second example is shown
below. Dr. Burke: Manufacturing things that really arent there, seeing only what
you want to see. Wasting our time, our resources, and throwing away your own life. Your illness is in your head, Kalpana.
Datum 53 Burke speaks a little bit rude when he finds a patient that actually is
healthy but consumes some pills in order to get sick. Therefore, there must be something’s wrong in her head. The medical terminology is the disease term that
is “illness in head”. Actually, Burke brings two meanings in his utterance between a disease that might be suffered in her head as the medical meaning and the
mentally illness of a lying which Kalpana did. Thus, the type of humor is double entendres, while the function is social management. The last example is below.
Dr. George: Hes definitely coming. Ow Want her doing tequila shots all
night? Ill be the one cleaning up the vomit. Besides, I touched a heart
today, Porny.
Datum 61 Datum 61 happens in a bar near hospital when Grey is drunk because of
broken heart, meanwhile her friends accompanied her. She hopes that Derek would come to accompany her in the bar, then chooses her rather than his wife.
She asks her friend whether he will come or not. George, who firstly gives comment, answers that Derek will come, however Cristina pinches him.
Therefore, George teases Cristina by saying that he had done a proudly solo operation while poor Cristina had to deal with a patient that should watch porno
all day long.
George uses a double entendres humor to mock Cristina. It can be fun and entertaining because the goal is to get a laugh both from Grey who knows and
Cristina who does not since she does not see what George has done. The anatomy term “heart” said by George is the remark of double meanings. Then, the function
is social management.
9 Transformation of Frozen Expression
Transformations of frozen expression happens when the speaker transforms well-known words, clichés, or proverbs into a statement.
Unfortunately, there are only two data that can be found and they are presented in the following.
Dr. Grey: Theres no fear, theres no pain. Youre ten feet tall and bulletproof.
And then you leave the OR.
Datum 22 Grey says the utterance above as a fact that she has learned after being a
surgeon. Most of her surgeon friends are intelligent and skillful in operating but pitiful in their love life. The types is transformation of frozen expression since she
applies a well- known motto “ten feet tall” and “bulletproof” from the album of
Travis Tritt as a symbol that they are strong and skillful surgeon, but then she adds “and then you leave the OR” as a contradiction that they change to be weak
people who are afraid of many things. Because the purpose is to carry out potentially embarrassing, so the function is mediation. Another finding is
discussed below.
Dr. Grey : The healing ritual. Are you OK with that?
Patient : Yeah. They cant find my soul if Im medicated. No pain,
no gain, right?
Datum 59 Grey asks to her patient if she is okay about the healing ritual that the
patient’s father will do before the operation. The patient answers Grey’s worried by convincing Grey using a cliché “No pain no gain” which is usually said to
endure pain and pressure to achieve the price of hard work. Moreover, the pain here means the pain from a surgery that she might feel after doing an operation.
This humor is categorized as transformation of frozen expression for applying a cliché in creating the humor. It also has the function as decommitment in order to
get agreement from the doctor.
3. Function of Humor in Grey’s Anatomy Season 2
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