ABSTRACT
We argue that the essence of comic performance, in act and interpretation, is intrinsically located in early adult–child interaction. We focus in particular on the special register used by parents with their young children: Child Directed Speech (CDS). We show how characteristics of CDS contribute to comic understanding in the child from very early on in life. Smiling and laughter emerge within the context of adult–child interaction, typified by a focus on the ‘here-and-now’ and the use of comic devices, which include surprise, familiarity, repetition, incongruity and nonsense. Cognitive development is, in fact, encouraged and enhanced through the use of comic interpretation – in the superiority gained through the grasping of concepts; the enjoyment of language based humour discovered in puns and jokes; and in the confounding of expectation. This article suggests that early parent-child interaction constitutes the blueprint for comic performance itself and that the quality of interaction between parent and child echoes the conditions for successful interplay between comedian and audience.
