ABSTRACT
Joke may refer to any narration, action, or interaction that, judging from the response it receives from listeners or the audience, is considered to be humorous. Jokes are humorous and often evoke laughter, but performers must be very careful about when and where they are performed. A joke performed at the wrong time or place not only impoverishes discourse but it may constitute a mark of incompetence and loss of social prestige on the part of the performer. Such a joke is not likely to evoke laughter in the audience. Excellent joke performances are usually appreciated by other members of the community. It must be borne in mind, however, that excellence is not necessarily equivalent to frequency of performance. To preserve one’s social prestige, one always avoids strategies that might jeopardize one’s competence at telling jokes. Competent joke performers are those who have absolute control over when to joke and when to make serious points in their talk.
