DISCOURSIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF A HYBRID GENRE: HUMOROUS CONVERSATION IN NADIE SABE NADA

Abstract

In recent years, genres have emerged (especially in the audio-visual field) that could be called hybrids, since they share the formal or functional characteristics of several traditional genres. In line with these investigations, the aim of this study is the discursive characterisation of a hybrid genre with strong conversational and humorous components. Our object of study has been the improvisation radio show called “Nadie Sabe Nada”, broadcasted in Cadena Ser, presented by Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero. However, in some episodes, the radio show is structured around the two of them talking and interspersing topics of conversation that generate humour for 50 minutes. Given the seemingly spontaneous and unscripted interaction between both presenters, the subject matter is whether or not it is a colloquial conversation and what differences are found with the prototypical colloquial conversation. In order to do so, the perspectives of analysis of the colloquial conversation of Briz et al. (2002) and the linguistics of humour of Ruiz Gurillo (2012, 2014) have been taken into account. In doing so, the colloquial characteristics have been sought in the corpus of “Nadie sabe nada” at the phonic, pragmatic, morphosyntactic, lexical and structural levels in order to observe the similarities and differences between the two genres studied.  Although the boundaries are not set, speakers’ communicative intention (transaccional) sets a line between prototypical colloquial conversation and humorous discourse. This hybrid genre has been named “humorous conversation”.