Inhaltskomische Zungenbrecher als kulturbedingtes Unterhaltungsmittel

Abstract

The article explores German tongue twisters as special representatives of humor and laughter culture in the German language comic space. The aim is to examine the lingual and cultural aspects of German tongue twisters in order to reflect their humorous and national cultural potential. Taking into account various approaches to the study of humor, laughter culture and comic speech, this research identifies the structural, semantic and pragmatic means used in German tongue twisters to express a comic effect and positive emotions. It reveals the specific formation of German humor through tongue twisters and
analyzes the structural and semantic elements of German tongue twisters, which represent the laughter culture of the German speaking world. Tongue twisters are defined as funny short stories, confusing strange sayings, nonsense texts, etc., which predict the formation of a comic effect through their plan of content and the plan of expression. The plan of content of tongue twisters incorporates a humorous play, causing emotional and expressive tension
and turning communication into an informal interaction. The plan of expression contains elements that pragmatize the comic effect (parallelism, repetition, alliteration, etc.). It is noteworthy that to enhance the comic effect, modified phraseological units, which identify the cognitive activity of people of the target language culture, are incorporated into tongue twisters. Tongue twisters require relevant vocal representation of text elements, provoke positive emotional reactions and cause laughter. Their structure visualizes national and cultural elements that belong to the background knowledge of the target language culture. When uttering tongue twisters with a certain rhythm, unintentional slurs may appear, further enhancing the comic effect. The national and cultural specificity of tongue twisters is revealed through designations of nationalities, proper names, national dishes and drinks, and professions.