Humour is an important social phenomenon. Humorous people are likely to be perceived as spontaneous, honest and likeable (Kane, Suls & Tedeschi, 1972), and the tactical use of humour can enhance a speaker's persuasiveness and credibility, reduce tension, demonstrate solidarity, and provide pleasure (Civikly, 1983; Gruner, 1978). Generally, studies of humour have focused on theories of humour appreciation applied to incongruity resolution, arousal reduction and superiority (McGhee & Goldstein, 1983; Suls, 1983; Wicker et al., 1981; Zillmann, 1983). However, little is known about humour types, social functions, or introductions. Since most joke recountings function to promote ‘positive face’ (Brown & Levinson, 1978), it is highly probable that jokes are adapted to audiences by preface devices which explicitly affirm their purpose as a means of gaining positive face. How humour is prefaced, then, may reflect its social function. Thus, this paper explores joke-prefacing devices and joke types, and how both relate to perceptions of amusement, offensiveness, and speaker insensitivity.
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