A Joke

[BaalChatzaf]

There was this woman who bore beautiful twin boys. Alas, she was so poor she had to give both of them up for adoption. One of her sons went to a doctor in Mexico where he had a comfortable life with all of his needs seen to. The Mexican parents named their adopted son Juan. The other son was adopted by hotel owner in the Emirate of Bahrain. This son also had a good comfortable life. His adopted parents named him Amal.

Years later the woman wanted to see how her sons were doing so she scraped and scrimped and was able to save enough money to visit one of her sons, the one in Mexico. A friend asked her how she felt about not being able to see both of her boys. She answered that it was a little bit sad, but if you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Alfonso Jones]

There was this woman who bore beautiful twin boys. Alas, she was so poor she had to give both of them up for adoption. One of her sons went to a doctor in Mexico where he had a comfortable life with all of his needs seen to. The Mexican parents named their adopted son Juan. The other son was adopted by hotel owner in the Emirate of Bahrain. This son also had a good comfortable life. His adopted parents named him Amal.

Years later the woman wanted to see how her sons were doing so she scraped and scrimped and was able to save enough money to visit one of her sons, the one in Mexico. A friend asked her how she felt about not being able to see both of her boys. She answered that it was a little bit sad, but if you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal.

Ba'al Chatzaf

I note you didn't title this "A New Joke." Good judgment, there.

Alfonso

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

That is cute. (I moved it to Humor.)

I have a soft spot for jokes based on puns. Here is an oldie but goodie for Indian geometry.

An Indian Chief had three squaws and kept them in three different teepees. He had killed a hippopotamus, a bear, and a buffalo and had put the hide from each animal into a different teepee. All three squaws got pregnant at the same time, so they all delivered their children at the same time. The squaw on the bear skin had a baby boy and the squaw on the buffalo skin had a baby boy. But the squaw on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. The moral of the story? The squaw on the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides.

And of course, my tribute to all our discussions on math:

There are three kinds of mathematicians: those who can count and those who cannot.

Michael

[BaalChatzaf]

note you didn't title this "A New Joke." Good judgment, there.

Alfonso

There are no new jokes. There are six basic joke types that have been part of the human race for at least the last ten thousand years.

Back in the days of the Cro Mag the stand up cave man opened his performance with -- Now, take my mate .... Please!

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Steve Gagne]

I have a soft spot for jokes based on puns. .

.

.

Michael

Why do the French like only one egg?

Because, for a Frenchman. one egg is un oeuf.

(Barbara's going to excommunicate me again now -- I can sense it.)

Sincerement,

Étienne Antoine Gagné dít Belavance dela Frésnàye

[Selene]

That is cute. (I moved it to Humor.)

I have a soft spot for jokes based on puns. Here is an oldie but goodie for Indian geometry.

An Indian Chief had three squaws and kept them in three different teepees. He had killed a hippopotamus, a bear, and a buffalo and had put the hide from each animal into a different teepee. All three squaws got pregnant at the same time, so they all delivered their children at the same time. The squaw on the bear skin had a baby boy and the squaw on the buffalo skin had a baby boy. But the squaw on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. The moral of the story? The squaw on the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides.

And of course, my tribute to all our discussions on math:

There are three kinds of mathematicians: those who can count and those who cannot.

Michael

And a genetic pun. The best part about being a test tube baby is that you have a womb with a view.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

How about the guy who had his whole left side cut off? He's all right now.

Michael

[Alfonso Jones]

note you didn't title this "A New Joke." Good judgment, there.

Alfonso

There are no new jokes. There are six basic joke types that have been part of the human race for at least the last ten thousand years.

Back in the days of the Cro Mag the stand up cave man opened his performance with -- Now, take my mate .... Please!

Ba'al Chatzaf

There is some truth in this. Of course, you modify it in your statement to "basic joke types," and not to jokes.

What is your enumeration of the six basic joke types, by the way?

Alfonso

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Here is a pretty cool report of some research I found on a Google search: Seven Types of Plot/Joke by Tony Goodson

Seven Types of Plot/Joke

I was thinking some more about how limited Hollywood movies can be in terms of plot and what happens. But then I remembered, there are only 7 basic plots!

1 - [wo]man vs. nature

2 - [wo]man vs. man

3 - [wo]man vs. the environment

4 - [wo]man vs. machines/technology

5 - [wo]man vs. the supernatural

6 - [wo]man vs. self

7 - [wo]man vs. god/religion

That's not strictly true, because what about all those crappy Disney B grade films following a dog/cat/bear/pony/kangaroo getting back to its owner!

I found some great answers and links to this question of how many plots there are, and some more 7s for plots, and 36 Dramatic Situations:

Google Answers

The Internet Public Library

The Straight Dope

At the bottom of the Google Answers are another 7:

1. Overcoming the monster -- defeating some force which threatens... e.g. most Hollywood movies; Star Wars, James Bond.

2. The Quest -- typically a group setoff in search of something and (usually) find it. e.g. Watership Down, Pilgrim's Progress.

3. Journey and Return -- the hero journeys away from home to somewhere different and finally comes back having experienced something and maybe changed for the better. e.g. Wizard of Oz, Gullivers Travels.

4. Comedy - not neccesarily a funny plot. Some kind of misunderstanding or ignorance is created that keeps parties apart which is resolved towards the end bringing them back together. e.g. Bridget Jones Diary, War and Peace.

5. Tragedy - Someone is tempted in some way, vanity, greed etc and becomes increasingly desperate or trapped by their actions until at a climax they usually die. Unless it's a Hollywood movie, when they escape to a happy ending. e.g. Devils' Advocate, Hamlet.

6. Rebirth - hero is captured or oppressed and seems to be in a state of living death until it seems all is lost when miraculously they are freed. e.g. Snow White.

7. Rags to Riches - self explanatory really. e.g. Cinderella & derivatives (all 27,000 of them)!!!

I remember hearing that there are only 7 joke types, but I haven't found it on the Web and so far I have 8 types of joke/comedy;

1. Misunderstanding

2. Misfortune/Cruelty/Slapstick

3. Wordplay

4. Status - Fall from status or rapid rise

5. Stupidity

6. Surreal/Tangential

7. Exaggeration

8. Sarcasm/Satire/Parody

And Scott Adams of Dilbert and The Joy of Work lists Six Dimensions of Humour with a picking a "Two of Six" rule;

1. Cuteness

2. Meanness

3. Bizarreness

4. Recognisability

5. Naughtiness

6. Cleverness

He suggests picking at least two of these dimensions, start with one of them and then layer in a second dimension. It works for him, so it must be correct! That's enough plot and humour for today, burning up my Monday public holiday.

Michael

[Wrighty]

But is the pun or wordplay purely related to the English language or are there instances elsewhere??

.....couldn't let it pass by without:

"Where did Noah keep his bees?".......In the archives.

[tjohnson]

Here's a great corny "double entendre";

Want to hear 2/3 of a pun? PU

[C. Jordan]

All puns are language-specific. Do the words "west" and "knee" and "to inhale" sound alike? Not in English. But they do in Chinese.

The next pair of puns are only possible in Dutch. I include an English translation below each, but you need to read them aloud in Dutch. In English there is no joke.

"In de Winkelcentrum van Bilthoven er is een winkel, Hans. Er is ook en winkel, Hans Anders. Zo: wat maakt Hans anders van Hans Anders?"

(In the Bilthoven Winkelcentrum there is a store [called] Hans. There is also a store [called] Hans Anders. So: what makes Hans different from Hans Anders?)

"Ik had an afspraak met Fleetwood Mac, en ik spraakte met Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Lindsey vertelde mij alles. En wat zei Stevie? Niks!"

(I had an appointmet with Fleetwood Mac, and I spoke to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Lindsey told me everything. What did Stevie say? Nothing."

[BaalChatzaf]

All puns are language-specific. Do the words "west" and "knee" and "to inhale" sound alike? Not in English. But they do in Chinese.

So true. But the urge to pun is as old as the human race. I think it has something to do with "baby talk". For a child, language is as much a toy as it is a tool.

I get to watch it happen yet again. My youngest grand daughter has just started to talk.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Dragonfly]

If you don't mind I'll give the correct sentences: "In het winkelcentrum van Bilthoven is een winkel Hans. Er is ook een winkel Hans Anders. Wat maakt nu Hans anders dan Hans Anders?"

and: "Ik had een afspraak met Fleetwood Mac, en ik sprak met Lindsey Buckingham en met Stevie Nicks. Lindsey vertelde mij alles. En wat zei Stevie? Niks!"

Another one (there exist different versions):

Toen moe moe van de was was

Zag ze zeven vliegen vliegen.

Ze vlogen over haar haar

en toen over de weg weg.

Er was ook een bij bij.

When mum was tired of washing

She saw seven flies fly

They flew over her hair

And then away over the road.

There was also a bee with them.

[syrakusos]

Isaac Asimov suggested that jokes are beamed into our heads by outer space aliens who want to see how we react. No one ever invented a joke: they are passed about without attribution. All jokes are variations on a few known themes. When we hear a joke, we laugh. On the other hand, puns are spontaneous. You have made them and seen other people do so, as well. When you hear a pun, you groan.

[Selene]

Isaac Asimov suggested that jokes are beamed into our heads by outer space aliens who want to see how we react. No one ever invented a joke: they are passed about without attribution. All jokes are variations on a few known themes. When we hear a joke, we laugh. On the other hand, puns are spontaneous. You have made them and seen other people do so, as well. When you hear a pun, you groan.

"Isaac Asimov suggested that jokes are beamed into our heads by outer space aliens who want to see how we react." Your source for this representation of Dr. Azimov's "suggestions...is________. I am an Azimov fanatic and I know the definition of fanatic.