ABSTRACT
Humour would appear to be a universal and multifunctional phenomenon intrinsic to human interaction and is studied in a wide range of disciplines in addition to linguistics, for example psychology, sociology and philosophy. This chapter focuses on the use of humour in professional (business) and academic settings, its conjoint or jointly constructed nature, and its role as an aspect of 'relational practice' or 'rapport', which concerns the way interlocutors negotiate, build and maintain interpersonal relations in situ. It considers functions of humour and relational work and discusses a number of examples of interactional humour in contexts where ELF is used, illustrating different functions and types of humour and its co-constructed nature. The chapter also focuses on key features of humour and relational work in ELF. Hay outlines three basic functions of humour, which she defines as: solidarity-based, power-based and psychological, and notes that humour 'reflects and affects group dynamics'.
