英語中的幽默：句法、語義、語音雙關

例句：

--"Do you ever draw picture in the nude?"

--"No, I usually wear a jacket."

對話中，提問的人是想問“你有沒有畫過裸體畫”，而回答的人卻理解為“你曾經光著身子畫過畫嗎？”這則幽默中雙關產生的原因是對in the nude在句中不同功能的理解，即作定語或作狀語。

2. 語義雙關

語義雙關例一：一個男孩子為了追求一個在銀行窗口工作的女孩子，便在遞交存折的同時附上了一張小紙條。

"Dear M:

I have been SAVING this question in the hope that I might gain some INTETRST. If free Friday, would you care to DEPOST yourself beside me at a movie? I have taken into ACCOUNT that you maybe previously engaged; if so I will WITHDRAW my offer and hipe Saturday. At any RATE, your company would much enjoy, and I hope you will not ASSESS this as too forward. Check you late.

Sincerely B."

如此有創意的求愛方式，女孩子能不為之心動么。男孩子巧妙運用銀行術語（deposit, withdraw, account, assess, check）與日常環境的不同意思，以獨特的方式表達了自己的愛慕之情。

3. 語義雙關例二：英語(論壇)習慣用語生動形象，用在一定的語境中，可以產生一語雙關的效果。

--What weather does mice most dislike?

--When it is raining cats and dogs.

"Cats and dogs"是傾盆大雨的意思。這則幽默取其字面意思，貓狗都從天上掉下來了，老鼠自然不喜歡了。

4. 語音雙關例一：The things my wife buy at auctions are keeping me baroque.

這是一位男士利用baroque（形式怪樣的）與broke（破產）的相近讀音來表達對妻子花錢大手大腳的不滿。

5. 語音雙關例二：Six year old Linda returned impressed from her school first day at school. Asked how she got on, she replied:" Every morning, we all have to sit at our desk and when the teacher calls our names, we have to answer 'prisoner' !"

當老師點名時，學生應該回答"present"。而Linda利用"prisoner"與"present"的相近讀音，表達了對學校生活的不滿。

6. 語音雙關例三：--"You're not eating your fish," the waitress asked him, "Anything wrong with it?"

--"Long time no sea," the customer replied.

"Long time no sea"魚久不見海，肯定不新鮮。而"Long time no see"是朋友見面時所用的寒暄語，相當于老朋友久別重逢時說的“好久不見”。Sea與see是同音異形異義詞，這位顧客巧妙地運用這一點，指出了魚不好吃，不新鮮。