Autori
Caruana, Fausto
Palagi, Elisabetta

Titolo
Laughter in Interaction: the pragmatics of spontaneous and voluntary laughter in conversation
Periodico
Sistemi intelligenti
Anno: 2025 - Fascicolo: 2 - Pagina iniziale: 245 - Pagina finale: 260

This article examines the interaction between the communicative uses of language and laughter through an evolutionary lens, challenging traditional perspectives that prioritize humor and complex cognitive abilities in the study of human laughter. Recent neuroethological research has framed laughter as a socio-emotional communicative behavior rooted in animal rough-and-tumble play, serving primarily to strengthen social bonds among group members. Here we argue that the evolutionary origins of laughter can also explain how it intervenes in our daily conversations. By distinguishing between spontaneous/emotional and voluntary/conversational laughter – well established in neuroscience but less explored in linguistics – we highlight their relevance to conversation and pragmatics. Specifically, we demonstrate how these two forms of laughter are employed in both humorous jokes and non-humorous conversational contexts. We suggest that laughter’s evolutionary origins not only align with an innovative theory of humor, but also explain its persistent role in everyday social interactions, even in the absence of humor.



SICI: 1120-9550(2025)2<245:LIITPO>2.0.ZU;2-6
Testo completo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/download/article/10.1422/117534
Testo completo alternativo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1422/117534

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