ECSTRA/Humor

(1) Is humor in your nation used in formal situations?, e.g.

1. in business presentations

2. business conversations

3. conversations with administration officials

4. conversations with your professor

5. other situations

(2) If humor is used in these situations, what kind of humor is used?, e.g.

A. puns

B. humorous anecdotes

C. irony

(Please remember our guidelines.)

AT: Austria

Vienna, Lower Austria (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes, in part, business conversations and colleagues; (2) irony, puns

BE: Belgium

Brussels (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Yes, always appreciated; (2) irony related to politics, puns, funny anecdotes (ECSTRA-Q)

CH: Switzerland

Lausanne (French-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes, even sometimes considered good in business presentations or conversations, during courses, not ith administrative officials; (2) varying from person to person or from group to group

CZ: Czech Republic

Bohemia (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) very rarely, only when the partner is open for humor; (2) puns

DE: Germany

Bremen (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes; (2) B, C

south (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) no

Saxony (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes, (2) puns, irony

DK: Denmark

...

EE: Estonia

...

ES: Spain

Andalucía (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Frequently; (2) A

Castilia y León (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Humor is becoming more usual, but it's not expanded to all fields, administrative officials or talks with professors; (2) B, unimportant themes/questions, jokes

FI: Finland

West Finland (Swedish-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) sometimes in business conversations (to ease up the atmosphere), sometimes in presentations; (2) self-irony

Finnish-speaking area (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) sometimes, but not much and not by all; (2) anecdotes, puns; irony rarely

FR: France

Paris (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Rarely. (2) Puns, funny anecdotes.

HR: Croatia

...

HU: Hungary

(1) 4 yes, but it depends on the topic; (2) A, B, C (ECSTRA-Q)

IE: Ireland

Dublin (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Yes, (2) irony, wit

IT: Italy

Lombardy (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) in formal situations occasionally, but not very often; it is used; (2) C, words or expressions with double meaning, no vulgar humor

Sicily (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) No.

LT: Lithuania

(1) No. (ECSTRA-Q)

LU: Luxemburg

(1)Rarely, rather no. (ECSTRA-Q)

LV: Latvia

...

MT: Malta

(1) yes, (2) anecdotes, comments about something current in the news (ECSTRA-Q)

NL: Netherlands

...

NO: Norway

...

PL: Poland

(1) yes, but also dependend on partners' generation; (2) anecdotes, but also dependend on situation (ECSTRA-Q)

PT: Portugal

Alentejo (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Sometimes, but not frequently; (2) puns, irony, anecdotes, jokes (ECSTRA-Q)

SE: Sweden

(1) Not necessarily but welcome if you can ease up the atmosphere a little without making it silly

SI: Slovenia

...

SK: Slovakia

...

UK: United Kingdom

Cambridgeshire (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Yes, when it is relevant to the situation, i.e. not a random gag; (2) irony, sarcasm

Glasgow, Scotland (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Not usually, depends on the person you are dealing with (sometimes in business presentations); (2) puns, jokes on recent events, self-irony

Non-European Nations

Australia

(1) Occasionally; (2) puns, jokes (ECSTRA-Q)

Colombia

(1) Colombians are famous for their sense of humor; (2) A, B, C (ECSTRA-Q)

Greece

(1) occasionally; (2) funny anecdotes, irony, funny comments on social/political matters (ECSTRA-Q)

Lebanon

(1) The Lebanese basically tend to use humor in any situation; (2) a mixture of A, B, C (ECSTRA-Q)