Failed Cross-Cultural Humor in English-Italian Interactions

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate why some humor attempts in cross-cultural interaction between English and Italians can fail. Although both countries are located in the same continent, are only divided by about 2,000 km and share a lot of similarities, they also have profound cultural and language-related differences. In particular, cultural differences and language-related problems are often the cause of misunderstandings and awkwardness in cross-cultural interaction, and humor understanding and production is particularly challenging for L2 speakers. For this reason, understanding the causes behind some failed humor attempts could be an effective way to gain a deeper understanding of humor dynamics in both cultures, without forgetting the role played by individual factors. The aim of this dissertation will be achieved through the analysis of 23 examples of recorded interaction taken from TV shows, interviews and podcasts in which there were (at least) one Italian and one English interlocutor and (at least) one of them was an L2 speaker of the other language. Most examples are taken from food-related broadcasts and football interviews and press conferences, as both fields of emerged as the ones with some of the most prominent shares of Italian native interlocutors, given that Italian cuisine is highly appreciated in the UK and that many Italian managers and footballers are hired by Premier League football clubs.