Executive master thesis | International Relations and Diplomacy (MSc)
open access
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is certainly not the first instance in which humor emerged as a by-product of political turmoil. In times of extreme societal change, people must adapt physically and...Show moreRussia’s invasion of Ukraine is certainly not the first instance in which humor emerged as a by-product of political turmoil. In times of extreme societal change, people must adapt physically and mentally to survive. Yet, because these adjustments are not immediate, one reaction that can help people acclimate to new circumstances is humor. In answering the research question “What were the functions of digital Ukrainian humor in the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine?”, this thesis finds that coping, cohesion, and criticism have emerged in as humor’s primary uses. Specifically, humor functions to create a buffer between old and new realities, define in- and out-groups, and form a medium for commentary. Yet, beyond this, through thematic discourse analysis, the thesis at hand also identifies the sub-categories of humor functions which help explain the means through which humor can meet the stress-relieving, superiority-affirming, or incongruity-resolving needs of groups and individuals in political turmoil. In turn, the thesis reaffirms that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be labeled a ‘TikTok War’, as the social media became the primary platform for the sharing of Ukrainian humor. In studying visual data, the research contributes to spotlighting the integral role of images as tools of political influence in the digital age and as artifacts the study of which enhances scholars’ holistic understanding of the ramifications of Russia’s invasion. With these findings, humor can be appreciated as a highly nuanced and conscious part of Ukrainian resistance and social resilience.Show less
Abstract In dit BA eindwerkstuk heb ik onderzocht welke soorten conversationele humor voorkomen in sitcoms. Ik heb dit gedaan door middel van het beantwoorden van mijn hoofdvraag "In welke...Show moreAbstract In dit BA eindwerkstuk heb ik onderzocht welke soorten conversationele humor voorkomen in sitcoms. Ik heb dit gedaan door middel van het beantwoorden van mijn hoofdvraag "In welke categorieën binnen conversationele humor van Dynel (2009) vallen de talige grappen die worden gemaakt in sitcoms?”. Voor dit onderzoek heb ik in eerste instantie een kwalitatieve analyse uitgevoerd en daarna een kwantitatieve analyse. Ten eerste heb ik twee afleveringen van sitcoms voor volwassenen en twee afleveringen van sitcoms voor preadolecenten bekeken en van iedere talige uiting waarna een lachband volgde besloten van wat voor soort humor hier sprake was en die, wanneer mogelijk, ingedeeld in de categorieën van conversationele humor die Dynel (2009) heeft opgesteld. Daarna heb ik een kwantitatieve analyse uitgevoerd om te bekijken hoe vaak iedere vorm van conversationele humor voorkomt. Aan de hand van deze analyses heb ik een conclusie kunnen trekken. Door de categorieën van Dynel aan te houden en zelf nog twee extra categorieën - “andere soort humor” en “geen humor” - op te stellen, heb ik de talige uitingen in de sitcoms die door de makers zelf als grappig worden beschouwd, gecategoriseerd. Alle categorieën van Dynel worden in de sitcoms gebruikt, maar wel in verschillende mate. Naast de bestaande categorieën van conversationele humor werden er ook veel potentiële grappen in de categorie “andere soort humor” ingedeeld. Na de analyse kwamen er uit deze categorie drie nieuwe categorieën naar voren: 1) Personage-specifiek, 2) Context-specifiek, en 3) Zelf-referentie. Deze categorieën kunnen ingedeeld worden in conversationele humor, doordat ze gebaseerd zijn op interactie.Show less
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the novel which Lewis Carroll initially wrote for Alice Liddell, was published in 1865 and became one of the most iconic children’s books of all time. It has been...Show moreAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the novel which Lewis Carroll initially wrote for Alice Liddell, was published in 1865 and became one of the most iconic children’s books of all time. It has been translated and retranslated many times into many languages, including Dutch. This thesis will explore the differences and similarities of the translation of puns in two translations of AiW into Dutch, namely the first complete one by Kossmann & Reedijk (1947) and a recent one by Matsier (2016). Puns are described by Low (59) as a kind of wordplay that exploits the ambiguity of a specific language, usually with humorous intent. Although retranslations of puns in AiW in other languages have been discussed, there has not been a case study on Dutch retranslations of AiW. This thesis aims to assess what translation methods the translators used to deal with the difficulties of translating puns and what differences and similarities there are between the two translations. The discussion will also focus on whether the translations meet Weaver’s criteria for maintaining the dual nature of AiW and Low’s criteria for retaining the same type of humor in translation. The puns in the ST have been identified using Nash’s (1985) categorization of puns and the translator’s used methods have been identified using Delebastita’s (1997) typology of translation methods for puns. The types of puns in the ST and their TT counterparts have been analyzed, and the translation methods have been determined. After presenting both an overview of the methods and types of puns used in both translations, the analysis concludes with an in-depth analysis of several puns. The types of puns in the ST and TTs have been compared to see whether they have stayed true to the distribution of types of puns in the ST. The hypotheses are that both translators will have tried to translate each pun into a pun or other humoristic element in Dutch, that the older translation follows the ST more closely, and that the more recent translation is more adapted to be read by children.Show less
