Abstract
Humour plays an important role in making and mediating human relationships. While scholarship on workplace humour is voluminous, there is scarce literature on interactional humour in non-Western yet culturally diverse settings. This article looks at humour in multi-ethnic Singaporean workplaces employing both citizens and temporary migrants, with a particular focus on blue collar and service workers. We argue that Singlish forms a linguistic and aural humour template for workers to bridge significant language, racial and cultural differences through language play that is devoid of the aggressive disparagement humour that frequently characterizes shop-floor humour in the Anglosphere. What evolves is a humorous metrolingua franca (Pennycook, A., and E. Otsuji. 2015. Metrolingualism: Language in the City. London: Routledge.) that is specific to the way everyday multiculturalism operates in diverse Singaporean workplaces.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Ethnic and Racial Studies |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 21 May 2019 |
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Keywords
- conviviality
- Everyday multiculturalism
- interaction humour
- Singapore
- Singlish
- work
Cite this
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Humour at work : conviviality through language play in Singapore's multicultural workplaces. / Wise, Amanda; Velayutham, Selvaraj.
In: Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21.05.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Humour at work
T2 - Ethnic and Racial Studies
AU - Wise, Amanda
AU - Velayutham, Selvaraj
PY - 2019/5/21
Y1 - 2019/5/21
N2 - Humour plays an important role in making and mediating human relationships. While scholarship on workplace humour is voluminous, there is scarce literature on interactional humour in non-Western yet culturally diverse settings. This article looks at humour in multi-ethnic Singaporean workplaces employing both citizens and temporary migrants, with a particular focus on blue collar and service workers. We argue that Singlish forms a linguistic and aural humour template for workers to bridge significant language, racial and cultural differences through language play that is devoid of the aggressive disparagement humour that frequently characterizes shop-floor humour in the Anglosphere. What evolves is a humorous metrolingua franca (Pennycook, A., and E. Otsuji. 2015. Metrolingualism: Language in the City. London: Routledge.) that is specific to the way everyday multiculturalism operates in diverse Singaporean workplaces.
AB - Humour plays an important role in making and mediating human relationships. While scholarship on workplace humour is voluminous, there is scarce literature on interactional humour in non-Western yet culturally diverse settings. This article looks at humour in multi-ethnic Singaporean workplaces employing both citizens and temporary migrants, with a particular focus on blue collar and service workers. We argue that Singlish forms a linguistic and aural humour template for workers to bridge significant language, racial and cultural differences through language play that is devoid of the aggressive disparagement humour that frequently characterizes shop-floor humour in the Anglosphere. What evolves is a humorous metrolingua franca (Pennycook, A., and E. Otsuji. 2015. Metrolingualism: Language in the City. London: Routledge.) that is specific to the way everyday multiculturalism operates in diverse Singaporean workplaces.
KW - conviviality
KW - Everyday multiculturalism
KW - interaction humour
KW - Singapore
KW - Singlish
KW - work
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063138130&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01419870.2019.1588341
DO - 10.1080/01419870.2019.1588341
M3 - Article
JO - Ethnic and Racial Studies
JF - Ethnic and Racial Studies
SN - 0141-9870
ER -