<![CDATA[ISHS Forum - All Forums]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/ Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:07:54 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[CfP: 2nd Workshop on Computational Humor (CHum @ ACL 2026)]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=16 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:53:23 +0000 Tristan Miller]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=16
Scope and topics

CHum 2026 aims to foster further work on modeling the processes of humor with current methods in computational linguistics and natural language processing, against the theoretical backdrop of humor research and with reference to relevant corpora of textual, visual, and multimodal materials. A principal goal of the workshop is to unite researchers who can together probe the limits of various meaning representations -- symbolic, neural, and hybrid -- for humor processing.

We welcome contributions on any topic relevant to the computational processing of humor, including but not limited to the following:
  • LLMs, knowledge representation
  • Resources and evaluation
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Computer-mediated communication
  • Assisted content creation
  • Machine and computer-assisted translation
  • Digital humanities applications
  • Formal modeling of humor
  • Proof-of-concept humor detection and classification

Particularly encouraged are submissions describing inter- or multi-disciplinary work, whether completed or in progress, and position papers that critically discuss the past, present, and future of computational humor systems.

Submission instructions

Long and short papers should be formatted according to the same guidelines for the main ACL 2026 conference papers and submitted through START: https://softconf.com/acl2026/chum2026/

Important dates

All deadlines are at 23:59 UTC-12:00 ("anywhere on Earth").
  •  Initial submission: March 12, 2026 (extended from March 5, 2026)
  • Notification of acceptance: April 28, 2026
  • Camera-ready submission: May 12, 2026
  • Workshop: July 3 or 4, 2026

Organizers
  • Christian F. Hempelmann, East Texas A&M University
  • Julia Rayz, Purdue University
  • Ori Amir, Fulbright University Vietnam
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba
  • Tiansi Dong, University of Cambridge

Further information
]]>
Scope and topics

CHum 2026 aims to foster further work on modeling the processes of humor with current methods in computational linguistics and natural language processing, against the theoretical backdrop of humor research and with reference to relevant corpora of textual, visual, and multimodal materials. A principal goal of the workshop is to unite researchers who can together probe the limits of various meaning representations -- symbolic, neural, and hybrid -- for humor processing.

We welcome contributions on any topic relevant to the computational processing of humor, including but not limited to the following:
  • LLMs, knowledge representation
  • Resources and evaluation
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Computer-mediated communication
  • Assisted content creation
  • Machine and computer-assisted translation
  • Digital humanities applications
  • Formal modeling of humor
  • Proof-of-concept humor detection and classification

Particularly encouraged are submissions describing inter- or multi-disciplinary work, whether completed or in progress, and position papers that critically discuss the past, present, and future of computational humor systems.

Submission instructions

Long and short papers should be formatted according to the same guidelines for the main ACL 2026 conference papers and submitted through START: https://softconf.com/acl2026/chum2026/

Important dates

All deadlines are at 23:59 UTC-12:00 ("anywhere on Earth").
  •  Initial submission: March 12, 2026 (extended from March 5, 2026)
  • Notification of acceptance: April 28, 2026
  • Camera-ready submission: May 12, 2026
  • Workshop: July 3 or 4, 2026

Organizers
  • Christian F. Hempelmann, East Texas A&M University
  • Julia Rayz, Purdue University
  • Ori Amir, Fulbright University Vietnam
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba
  • Tiansi Dong, University of Cambridge

Further information
]]> <![CDATA[CfP: Humor and Artificial Intelligence Panel at ISHS 2026]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=15 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:49:43 +0000 Tristan Miller]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=15 Humor and Artificial Intelligence Panel
36th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2026)

Niterói, Brazil, July 6 to 10, 2026
https://ishs2026.org/

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 24, 2026


Call for papers

As in previous years, the Humor and AI Special Interest Group of the International Society for Humor Studies will hold a panel at the 36th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2026).  ISHS is a multidisciplinary conference organized and attended by humor researchers in diverse fields, including linguistics, psychology, sociology, computer science, folklore, literary studies, and many others.

We invite paper presentations on AI-based technology for generating, processing, or analyzing humor.  Contributions should be grounded in humor theory or other relevant theoretical frameworks, demonstrating how theory informs the design, analysis, or application of AI methods.  (Submissions that focus solely on AI tools without clear theoretical motivation or connection to humor research are outside the scope of this call.)  Application areas include, but are not limited to:
  • human–computer interaction
  • computer-mediated communication
  • intelligent writing assistants
  • conversational agents
  • machine and computer-assisted translation
  • digital humanities
  • natural language processing
  • computer vision

Submission instructions

Per ISHS 2026 policy, each (co-)author of the submission must separately register beforehand for the conference using the form at https://www.ishs2026.eventos.dype.com.br/.  Because the submission is for a pre-organized panel, co-authors should answer "No" to the question "Do you wish to send a proposal/work in your registration?"  Payment of the conference fee is not required at submission time, but will be required of all co-authors of submissions accepted for presentation.

The corresponding (co-)author should then e-mail the following information to the panel organizers at ishs-ai@groups.io:

  1. Title
  2. 250-word abstract
  3. 3 keywords
  4. Name, short biography, and conference registration code for each (co-)author

Conveners
  • Kiki Hempelmann, East Texas A&M University
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba
  • Julia M. Rayz, Purdue University
]]> Humor and Artificial Intelligence Panel
36th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2026)

Niterói, Brazil, July 6 to 10, 2026
https://ishs2026.org/

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 24, 2026


Call for papers

As in previous years, the Humor and AI Special Interest Group of the International Society for Humor Studies will hold a panel at the 36th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2026).  ISHS is a multidisciplinary conference organized and attended by humor researchers in diverse fields, including linguistics, psychology, sociology, computer science, folklore, literary studies, and many others.

We invite paper presentations on AI-based technology for generating, processing, or analyzing humor.  Contributions should be grounded in humor theory or other relevant theoretical frameworks, demonstrating how theory informs the design, analysis, or application of AI methods.  (Submissions that focus solely on AI tools without clear theoretical motivation or connection to humor research are outside the scope of this call.)  Application areas include, but are not limited to:
  • human–computer interaction
  • computer-mediated communication
  • intelligent writing assistants
  • conversational agents
  • machine and computer-assisted translation
  • digital humanities
  • natural language processing
  • computer vision

Submission instructions

Per ISHS 2026 policy, each (co-)author of the submission must separately register beforehand for the conference using the form at https://www.ishs2026.eventos.dype.com.br/.  Because the submission is for a pre-organized panel, co-authors should answer "No" to the question "Do you wish to send a proposal/work in your registration?"  Payment of the conference fee is not required at submission time, but will be required of all co-authors of submissions accepted for presentation.

The corresponding (co-)author should then e-mail the following information to the panel organizers at ishs-ai@groups.io:

  1. Title
  2. 250-word abstract
  3. 3 keywords
  4. Name, short biography, and conference registration code for each (co-)author

Conveners
  • Kiki Hempelmann, East Texas A&M University
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba
  • Julia M. Rayz, Purdue University
]]> <![CDATA[CfP: Special issue "AI Meets Humour" (European Journal of Humour Research)]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=14 Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:23:12 +0000 Tristan Miller]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=14 Call for papers
European Journal of Humour Research
Special issue: “AI Meets Humour”


Editors of the European Journal of Humour Research special issue “AI Meets Humour” invite contributions that examine any aspect of the relationship between artificial intelligence and humour from a humanistic or social-scientific perspective. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Cultural, social, or ethical implications of AI-generated humour
  • Humour as a test for artificial general intelligence
  • Semiotics of humour in human–AI interactions
  • The “funny robot” trope in film and literature
  • Bias and stereotyping in AI-generated humour
  • Cross-cultural challenges in computational humour recognition or production
  • Ethnographies of AI and humour in real-world settings
  • Evaluations of the use of AI in comedy writing or performance
  • AI as a theme or target of human-made humour
  • Philosophical or epistemological perspectives on humour and AI
  • Educational applications of humour-aware AI

Transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary approaches are welcome. Papers jointly authored by researchers in computer science and the social sciences or humanities are particularly encouraged.

The special issue will print full-length original research articles (6,000 to 10,000 words), as well as shorter commentary pieces (3,000 to 6,000 words) that critically examine and take a clear persuasive stand on the literature and research direction of a particular topic.


Submission instructions
Prospective authors should e-mail the following to the guest editors at aimeetshumour@groups.io:
  • title
  • 250-word abstract
  • 5 keywords
  • names, affiliations, e-mail addresses, and biographies (up to 250 words) of all co-authors

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit a full article that must follow the EJHR style sheet available at https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/ejhr/about/submissions. Submissions that pass an informal internal review by the guest editors will undergo external double-blind review, with authors of accepted papers invited to submit a final, revised version of their manuscript.


Important dates
  • 1 October 2025: Abstract submission deadline
  • 1 November 2025: Acceptance notifications for abstracts
  • 1 March 2026: Paper submission deadline
  • 1 July 2026: Acceptance notifications for papers
  • 1 August 2026: Deadline for submission of revised papers
  • September/October 2026: Publication of special issue


About the journal
The European Journal of Humour Research (EJHR) is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal with an international, multidisciplinary editorial board. EJHR covers the full range of work being done on all aspects of humour and intends to respond to the important changes that have affected the study of humour. Consequently, EJHR is committed to theoretical openness characterized by the intent to publish a wide range of critical approaches, alongside the encouragement and development of innovative work that contains a transdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary focus.  For more information, see https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/.


Guest editors
  • Anna T. Litovkina, J. Selye University, Slovakia
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba, Canada
  • Andrea Puskás, J. Selye University, Slovakia
  • Márk Csóka, J. Selye University, Slovakia

For any enquiries, please contact the guest editors at aimeetshumour@groups.io.]]> Call for papers
European Journal of Humour Research
Special issue: “AI Meets Humour”


Editors of the European Journal of Humour Research special issue “AI Meets Humour” invite contributions that examine any aspect of the relationship between artificial intelligence and humour from a humanistic or social-scientific perspective. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Cultural, social, or ethical implications of AI-generated humour
  • Humour as a test for artificial general intelligence
  • Semiotics of humour in human–AI interactions
  • The “funny robot” trope in film and literature
  • Bias and stereotyping in AI-generated humour
  • Cross-cultural challenges in computational humour recognition or production
  • Ethnographies of AI and humour in real-world settings
  • Evaluations of the use of AI in comedy writing or performance
  • AI as a theme or target of human-made humour
  • Philosophical or epistemological perspectives on humour and AI
  • Educational applications of humour-aware AI

Transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary approaches are welcome. Papers jointly authored by researchers in computer science and the social sciences or humanities are particularly encouraged.

The special issue will print full-length original research articles (6,000 to 10,000 words), as well as shorter commentary pieces (3,000 to 6,000 words) that critically examine and take a clear persuasive stand on the literature and research direction of a particular topic.


Submission instructions
Prospective authors should e-mail the following to the guest editors at aimeetshumour@groups.io:
  • title
  • 250-word abstract
  • 5 keywords
  • names, affiliations, e-mail addresses, and biographies (up to 250 words) of all co-authors

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit a full article that must follow the EJHR style sheet available at https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/ejhr/about/submissions. Submissions that pass an informal internal review by the guest editors will undergo external double-blind review, with authors of accepted papers invited to submit a final, revised version of their manuscript.


Important dates
  • 1 October 2025: Abstract submission deadline
  • 1 November 2025: Acceptance notifications for abstracts
  • 1 March 2026: Paper submission deadline
  • 1 July 2026: Acceptance notifications for papers
  • 1 August 2026: Deadline for submission of revised papers
  • September/October 2026: Publication of special issue


About the journal
The European Journal of Humour Research (EJHR) is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal with an international, multidisciplinary editorial board. EJHR covers the full range of work being done on all aspects of humour and intends to respond to the important changes that have affected the study of humour. Consequently, EJHR is committed to theoretical openness characterized by the intent to publish a wide range of critical approaches, alongside the encouragement and development of innovative work that contains a transdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary focus.  For more information, see https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/.


Guest editors
  • Anna T. Litovkina, J. Selye University, Slovakia
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba, Canada
  • Andrea Puskás, J. Selye University, Slovakia
  • Márk Csóka, J. Selye University, Slovakia

For any enquiries, please contact the guest editors at aimeetshumour@groups.io.]]> <![CDATA[PhD positions in Computational Humour, University of Manitoba]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=13 Thu, 07 Nov 2024 02:38:10 +0000 Tristan Miller]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=13 Computational Linguistics at Manitoba (CLAM) Lab at the University of Manitoba is offering funded PhD positions starting in 2025 for the following research topics:

  1. Computational humour, with a focus on validation of linguistic theories of humour, translation of humour, and/or classification of aggressive humour.
  2. Historical born-digital corpora, with a focus on constructing and analyzing structured, annotated text corpora from Usenet or other pre-Web archives.
  3. Indigenous language technology, with a focus on developing digital resources for text processing, writing, typesetting, and/or language revitalization.

We are seeking highly motivated candidates with a strong interest in linguistically informed approaches to these topics.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Successful candidates will pursue a doctoral degree in the Computer Science or Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program while working as a graduate research assistant. In these roles, and supported by their supervisor(s), they will design and carry out scientific experiments, construct and analyze text corpora or other data sets, develop and publish research software, collaborate with local and international researchers, and write papers for high-quality journals and conferences.
The prospective starting date is September 2025.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:
Highly desirable:
  • Past research publications in computer science or linguistics
  • Knowledge of any of the following:
    • theories of verbal humour or verbal aggression
    • text corpora
    • history of computing (pre-WWW)
    • language tools and resources (dictionaries, wordnets, parsers, etc.)
    • an indigenous language (particularly one of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Dene, or Métis people)

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

The University of Manitoba is consistently ranked among the top research-intensive universities in Canada. Its strong and rapidly growing Department of Computer Science advances research at the frontiers of artificial intelligence, human–computer interaction, autonomous agents, and other areas, with a track record of interdisciplinary and industry collaboration.

Winnipeg, the sixth-largest city in Canada, and one of the most livable, boasts a vibrant, multicultural community and ample opportunities for sport, leisure, and entertainment. It is home to internationally renowned festivals, galleries, and museums; the historic Exchange District and The Forks; and ever-expanding research, education, and business sectors. From the Hudson Bay waters, across the farmland fields, to the pulse of the cities and towns, the province of Manitoba has 100,000 lakes, 92 provincial parks, winding river valleys, and storied prairie skies.

HOW TO APPLY

Send the following to Dr. Tristan Miller at Tristan.Miller@umanitoba.ca:
  • Your curriculum vitae
  • Copies of your degree certificates and transcripts
  • A copy of your Master's thesis and any academic publications
  • A cover e-mail that summarizes your interest in and aptitude for one of the three research topics above, with specific reference to your background and to any relevant projects or publications you were involved in.

Applications will be accepted until December 1, 2024 or until the positions are filled.
Applications are particularly encouraged from those who are women, non-binary, indigenous, or members of other underrepresented groups.
Only those candidates who are shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.]]> Computational Linguistics at Manitoba (CLAM) Lab at the University of Manitoba is offering funded PhD positions starting in 2025 for the following research topics:

  1. Computational humour, with a focus on validation of linguistic theories of humour, translation of humour, and/or classification of aggressive humour.
  2. Historical born-digital corpora, with a focus on constructing and analyzing structured, annotated text corpora from Usenet or other pre-Web archives.
  3. Indigenous language technology, with a focus on developing digital resources for text processing, writing, typesetting, and/or language revitalization.

We are seeking highly motivated candidates with a strong interest in linguistically informed approaches to these topics.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Successful candidates will pursue a doctoral degree in the Computer Science or Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program while working as a graduate research assistant. In these roles, and supported by their supervisor(s), they will design and carry out scientific experiments, construct and analyze text corpora or other data sets, develop and publish research software, collaborate with local and international researchers, and write papers for high-quality journals and conferences.
The prospective starting date is September 2025.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:
Highly desirable:
  • Past research publications in computer science or linguistics
  • Knowledge of any of the following:
    • theories of verbal humour or verbal aggression
    • text corpora
    • history of computing (pre-WWW)
    • language tools and resources (dictionaries, wordnets, parsers, etc.)
    • an indigenous language (particularly one of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Dene, or Métis people)

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

The University of Manitoba is consistently ranked among the top research-intensive universities in Canada. Its strong and rapidly growing Department of Computer Science advances research at the frontiers of artificial intelligence, human–computer interaction, autonomous agents, and other areas, with a track record of interdisciplinary and industry collaboration.

Winnipeg, the sixth-largest city in Canada, and one of the most livable, boasts a vibrant, multicultural community and ample opportunities for sport, leisure, and entertainment. It is home to internationally renowned festivals, galleries, and museums; the historic Exchange District and The Forks; and ever-expanding research, education, and business sectors. From the Hudson Bay waters, across the farmland fields, to the pulse of the cities and towns, the province of Manitoba has 100,000 lakes, 92 provincial parks, winding river valleys, and storied prairie skies.

HOW TO APPLY

Send the following to Dr. Tristan Miller at Tristan.Miller@umanitoba.ca:
  • Your curriculum vitae
  • Copies of your degree certificates and transcripts
  • A copy of your Master's thesis and any academic publications
  • A cover e-mail that summarizes your interest in and aptitude for one of the three research topics above, with specific reference to your background and to any relevant projects or publications you were involved in.

Applications will be accepted until December 1, 2024 or until the positions are filled.
Applications are particularly encouraged from those who are women, non-binary, indigenous, or members of other underrepresented groups.
Only those candidates who are shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.]]> <![CDATA[CFP - Panel: "Humor as an Emergent Property of the Interactional Context" at IPrA]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=12 Thu, 19 Sep 2024 17:58:32 +0000 Elisa Gironzetti]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=12 19th International Pragmatics Conference - Panel: "Humor as an Emergent Property of the Interactional Context"


Organizers
Dr. Salvatore Attardo (Texas A&M University-Commerce) salvatore.attardo@tamuc.edu
Dr. Béatrice Priego-Valverde (Aix-Marseille Université) beatrice.priego-valverde@univ-amu.fr
Dr. Elisa Gironzetti (University of Maryland) elisag@umd.edu


Call for Papers:


There is growing consensus that interactional humor is dynamic, cooperative, and co-constructed. Its study has been primarily approached from a linguocentric perspective, starting with an account of the verbal (e.g., the humorous utterance) and then further opening the analysis to a variety of other nonverbal elements, such as the social and physical context of the interaction, interlocutors’ facial expressions, or visual elements surrounding the humorous text. This perspective is in line with recent works that argue for a multimodal language faculty in which verbal and nonverbal resources are part of the same system (e.g., Cohn & Schilperoord, 2024; Hagoort & Özyürek, 2024; Willems, Özyürek, & Hagoort, 2007).


However, in the same way as nonverbal elements have been considered extralinguistic, context has been perceived as external as well, as if it were a mere backdrop for interactional humor. The study of context has been described metaphorically as the study of peripheral vision (Schegloff 1992, p. 223). It is impossible to “look at” peripheral vision because when one tries to focus it one merely changes one’s focus. Here we propose to turn the metaphor inside out, so to speak, and consider humor in interaction as a complex system, occurring in a situated context, and as an emergent property of said context, in which the interactants soft assemble (Thelen et al., 1984; Larsen-Freeman, 2012) the stimuli (verbal and nonverbal) and their reactions to them. This approach is an integral part of the move away from linguocentric accounts of humor (Gironzetti, 2022) and toward multimodal accounts of it in terms of “complex multimodal gestalts” (Mondada, 2014, p. 139).


As part of this panel, we seek original research papers presenting results of empirical studies (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) and/or engaging in theoretical discussions about any of the following:


1) The characteristics and role of contextualization cues to the play frame of humor (key in Goffman’s terms, 1974, 1981a/b) and/or to the humorous nature of the interaction, particularly focused on the interaction of these clues (e.g., smiling and hand gestures).
2) “Difficult” cases in which the interactants do not readily agree to the play frame/key or disagree to its appropriateness, including cases in which they reject it entirely (Priego-Valverde, 2020; Bell, 2015).
3) Cases in which the humor key emerges from the interplay of contextual elements and their interpretation by the interactants, especially if they include recontextualizations within joint fictionalization (Kotthoff, 1999).
4) Types and functions of markers/contextualization cues beyond laughter, smiling, pauses, and others already discussed in Pickering et al. (2009) and Attardo (2020).
5) Embodied theories of cognition applied to the study of humor in signed languages and/or visual communication.


Submissions should be made via the Official IPrA2025 Call for Papers site:
https://pragmatics.international/page/CfP2025 (further information on submission format is available at this site)


For inquiries, please contact the panel organizers:
Dr. Salvatore Attardo (Texas A&M University-Commerce) salvatore.attardo@tamuc.edu
Dr. Béatrice Priego-Valverde (Aix-Marseille Université) beatrice.priego-valverde@univ-amu.fr
Dr. Elisa Gironzetti (University of Maryland) elisag@umd.edu


We look forward to receiving your submissions!
]]> 19th International Pragmatics Conference - Panel: "Humor as an Emergent Property of the Interactional Context"


Organizers
Dr. Salvatore Attardo (Texas A&M University-Commerce) salvatore.attardo@tamuc.edu
Dr. Béatrice Priego-Valverde (Aix-Marseille Université) beatrice.priego-valverde@univ-amu.fr
Dr. Elisa Gironzetti (University of Maryland) elisag@umd.edu


Call for Papers:


There is growing consensus that interactional humor is dynamic, cooperative, and co-constructed. Its study has been primarily approached from a linguocentric perspective, starting with an account of the verbal (e.g., the humorous utterance) and then further opening the analysis to a variety of other nonverbal elements, such as the social and physical context of the interaction, interlocutors’ facial expressions, or visual elements surrounding the humorous text. This perspective is in line with recent works that argue for a multimodal language faculty in which verbal and nonverbal resources are part of the same system (e.g., Cohn & Schilperoord, 2024; Hagoort & Özyürek, 2024; Willems, Özyürek, & Hagoort, 2007).


However, in the same way as nonverbal elements have been considered extralinguistic, context has been perceived as external as well, as if it were a mere backdrop for interactional humor. The study of context has been described metaphorically as the study of peripheral vision (Schegloff 1992, p. 223). It is impossible to “look at” peripheral vision because when one tries to focus it one merely changes one’s focus. Here we propose to turn the metaphor inside out, so to speak, and consider humor in interaction as a complex system, occurring in a situated context, and as an emergent property of said context, in which the interactants soft assemble (Thelen et al., 1984; Larsen-Freeman, 2012) the stimuli (verbal and nonverbal) and their reactions to them. This approach is an integral part of the move away from linguocentric accounts of humor (Gironzetti, 2022) and toward multimodal accounts of it in terms of “complex multimodal gestalts” (Mondada, 2014, p. 139).


As part of this panel, we seek original research papers presenting results of empirical studies (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) and/or engaging in theoretical discussions about any of the following:


1) The characteristics and role of contextualization cues to the play frame of humor (key in Goffman’s terms, 1974, 1981a/b) and/or to the humorous nature of the interaction, particularly focused on the interaction of these clues (e.g., smiling and hand gestures).
2) “Difficult” cases in which the interactants do not readily agree to the play frame/key or disagree to its appropriateness, including cases in which they reject it entirely (Priego-Valverde, 2020; Bell, 2015).
3) Cases in which the humor key emerges from the interplay of contextual elements and their interpretation by the interactants, especially if they include recontextualizations within joint fictionalization (Kotthoff, 1999).
4) Types and functions of markers/contextualization cues beyond laughter, smiling, pauses, and others already discussed in Pickering et al. (2009) and Attardo (2020).
5) Embodied theories of cognition applied to the study of humor in signed languages and/or visual communication.


Submissions should be made via the Official IPrA2025 Call for Papers site:
https://pragmatics.international/page/CfP2025 (further information on submission format is available at this site)


For inquiries, please contact the panel organizers:
Dr. Salvatore Attardo (Texas A&M University-Commerce) salvatore.attardo@tamuc.edu
Dr. Béatrice Priego-Valverde (Aix-Marseille Université) beatrice.priego-valverde@univ-amu.fr
Dr. Elisa Gironzetti (University of Maryland) elisag@umd.edu


We look forward to receiving your submissions!
]]> <![CDATA[CfP: 1st Workshop on Computational Humor (CHum @ COLING 2025)]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=11 Sat, 27 Jul 2024 20:25:19 +0000 Tristan Miller]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=11
Scope and topics

CHum 2025 aims to foster further work on modeling the processes of humor with current methods in computational linguistics and natural language processing, against the theoretical backdrop of humor research and with reference to relevant corpora of textual, visual, and multimodal materials. A principal goal of the workshop is to unite researchers who can together probe the limits of various meaning representations -- symbolic, neural, and hybrid -- for humor processing.

We welcome contributions on any topic relevant to the computational processing of humor, including but not limited to the following:
  • LLMs, knowledge representation
  • Resources and evaluation
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Computer-mediated communication
  • Assisted content creation
  • Machine and computer-assisted translation
  • Digital humanities applications
  • Formal modeling of humor
  • Proof-of-concept humor detection and classification

Particularly encouraged are submissions describing inter- or multi-disciplinary work, whether completed or in progress, and position papers that critically discuss the past, present, and future of computational humor systems.

Submission instructions

Long and short papers should be formatted according to the same guidelines for the main COLING 2025 conference papers and submitted through START: https://softconf.com/coling2025/CompHum25/

Important dates

All deadlines are at 23:59 UTC-12:00 ("anywhere on Earth").
  • Initial submission: November 15, 2024
  • Notification of acceptance: December 2, 2024
  • Camera-ready submission: December 13, 2024
  • Workshop: January 19 or 20, 2025

Organizers
  • Christian F. Hempelmann, Texas A&M University-Commerce
  • Julia Rayz, Purdue University
  • Tiansi Dong, Fraunhofer IAIS
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba

Further information
]]>
Scope and topics

CHum 2025 aims to foster further work on modeling the processes of humor with current methods in computational linguistics and natural language processing, against the theoretical backdrop of humor research and with reference to relevant corpora of textual, visual, and multimodal materials. A principal goal of the workshop is to unite researchers who can together probe the limits of various meaning representations -- symbolic, neural, and hybrid -- for humor processing.

We welcome contributions on any topic relevant to the computational processing of humor, including but not limited to the following:
  • LLMs, knowledge representation
  • Resources and evaluation
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Computer-mediated communication
  • Assisted content creation
  • Machine and computer-assisted translation
  • Digital humanities applications
  • Formal modeling of humor
  • Proof-of-concept humor detection and classification

Particularly encouraged are submissions describing inter- or multi-disciplinary work, whether completed or in progress, and position papers that critically discuss the past, present, and future of computational humor systems.

Submission instructions

Long and short papers should be formatted according to the same guidelines for the main COLING 2025 conference papers and submitted through START: https://softconf.com/coling2025/CompHum25/

Important dates

All deadlines are at 23:59 UTC-12:00 ("anywhere on Earth").
  • Initial submission: November 15, 2024
  • Notification of acceptance: December 2, 2024
  • Camera-ready submission: December 13, 2024
  • Workshop: January 19 or 20, 2025

Organizers
  • Christian F. Hempelmann, Texas A&M University-Commerce
  • Julia Rayz, Purdue University
  • Tiansi Dong, Fraunhofer IAIS
  • Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba

Further information
]]> <![CDATA[online symposium, April 4-5: Humour in the public sphere]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=10 Sat, 30 Mar 2024 15:44:52 +0000 Liisi Laineste]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=10 Dear ISHS members,


I'm sharing the news of an exciting humour research event that will take place next week:

The Center for Sociological Research (CeSO) at KU Leuven is organizing a symposium on humor and conflict in the public sphere on April 4-5, 2024, coordinated by Giselinde Kuipers and Jonas Nicolai. A number of panel talks, exhibitions and documentary screenings will facilitate dialogue between academics, comedic professionals and broader audiences, and present the results of two humour projects, HuSca and CELSA. Two of the talks /roundtables will be broadcast live for ISHS members. Follow the links below and join us in Leuven:

April 4, Thursday, at 15:45 CET: A panel on cartoons and the depiction of social conflict https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Mjg5MjMwODItNmVjMy00NTg2LWE3MzEtZjIwMDFhODc0OTQy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d9af6da7-cf29-48fe-8dae-df3784f4bde2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2233e556e5-e61b-45a5-9691-fe415fa2ff81%22%7d

April 5, Friday, at 14:00 CET: A keynote by Alberto Godioli on Humour and free speech: 
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODhhNWNhOTktYjgwMy00ODhmLTg0ZGItOTE0MzE3MTQ3MmM0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d9af6da7-cf29-48fe-8dae-df3784f4bde2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2233e556e5-e61b-45a5-9691-fe415fa2ff81%22%7d

Best wishes and hope to see you there
Liisi]]> Dear ISHS members,


I'm sharing the news of an exciting humour research event that will take place next week:

The Center for Sociological Research (CeSO) at KU Leuven is organizing a symposium on humor and conflict in the public sphere on April 4-5, 2024, coordinated by Giselinde Kuipers and Jonas Nicolai. A number of panel talks, exhibitions and documentary screenings will facilitate dialogue between academics, comedic professionals and broader audiences, and present the results of two humour projects, HuSca and CELSA. Two of the talks /roundtables will be broadcast live for ISHS members. Follow the links below and join us in Leuven:

April 4, Thursday, at 15:45 CET: A panel on cartoons and the depiction of social conflict https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Mjg5MjMwODItNmVjMy00NTg2LWE3MzEtZjIwMDFhODc0OTQy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d9af6da7-cf29-48fe-8dae-df3784f4bde2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2233e556e5-e61b-45a5-9691-fe415fa2ff81%22%7d

April 5, Friday, at 14:00 CET: A keynote by Alberto Godioli on Humour and free speech: 
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODhhNWNhOTktYjgwMy00ODhmLTg0ZGItOTE0MzE3MTQ3MmM0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d9af6da7-cf29-48fe-8dae-df3784f4bde2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2233e556e5-e61b-45a5-9691-fe415fa2ff81%22%7d

Best wishes and hope to see you there
Liisi]]> <![CDATA[CfP: Humor and Artificial Intelligence at ISHS 2024]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=9 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 01:12:39 +0000 Tristan Miller]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=9 Humor and Artificial Intelligence Track

34th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2024) and 14th Humor Research Conference (HRC)

Hosted online by Texas A&M University-Commerce, April 19 to 21, 2024
https://tamuc.edu/humor

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 25, 2024


Call for papers

As in previous years, the Humor and AI Special Interest Group of the International Society for Humor Studies will hold a panel at the 34th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2024).  This year's conference is being held concurrently with the 14th Humor Research Conference (HRC), hosted online by Texas A&M University-Commerce from April 19 to 21, 2024.

We invite 20-minute presentations on AI-based technology for generating, processing, or analyzing humor, for our dedicated panel that kicks off ISHS's 2024 webinar series.

Application areas include, but are not limited to:
  • human–computer interaction
  • computer-mediated communication
  • intelligent writing assistants
  • conversational agents
  • machine and computer-assisted translation
  • digital humanities
  • natural language processing
  • computer vision
Abstracts of 250 words, excluding references, should be submitted by e-mail to the conveners by March 25, 2024.


Conveners

Kiki Hempelmann, Texas A&M University-Commerce <kiki@tamuc.edu>
Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba <Tristan.Miller@umanitoba.ca>
Julia M. Rayz, Purdue University <jtaylor1@purdue.edu>]]> Humor and Artificial Intelligence Track

34th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2024) and 14th Humor Research Conference (HRC)

Hosted online by Texas A&M University-Commerce, April 19 to 21, 2024
https://tamuc.edu/humor

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 25, 2024


Call for papers

As in previous years, the Humor and AI Special Interest Group of the International Society for Humor Studies will hold a panel at the 34th International Society for Humor Studies Conference (ISHS 2024).  This year's conference is being held concurrently with the 14th Humor Research Conference (HRC), hosted online by Texas A&M University-Commerce from April 19 to 21, 2024.

We invite 20-minute presentations on AI-based technology for generating, processing, or analyzing humor, for our dedicated panel that kicks off ISHS's 2024 webinar series.

Application areas include, but are not limited to:
  • human–computer interaction
  • computer-mediated communication
  • intelligent writing assistants
  • conversational agents
  • machine and computer-assisted translation
  • digital humanities
  • natural language processing
  • computer vision
Abstracts of 250 words, excluding references, should be submitted by e-mail to the conveners by March 25, 2024.


Conveners

Kiki Hempelmann, Texas A&M University-Commerce <kiki@tamuc.edu>
Tristan Miller, University of Manitoba <Tristan.Miller@umanitoba.ca>
Julia M. Rayz, Purdue University <jtaylor1@purdue.edu>]]> <![CDATA[Introductions]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=8 Tue, 19 Dec 2023 18:25:24 +0000 Alberto Godioli]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=8
Welcome to the 'Humor, Free Speech and the Law' SIG forum! Please feel free to use this thread to tell us more about your interests, previous work or future plans concerning humor and the law... 

In our case, we are both interested in the cross-disciplinary analysis of legal cases concerning humor and the limits of free speech -- including for example defamation, hate speech or copyright violation among others. You can find out more about our research on our profile pages:

https://www.rug.nl/staff/a.godioli/

https://law.temple.edu/contact/laura-e-little/

And here is the website of the Forum for Humor and the Law, also featuring posts from fellow ISHS members Smile
https://www.forhum.org/ 

Best wishes everyone,

Alberto and Laura]]>
Welcome to the 'Humor, Free Speech and the Law' SIG forum! Please feel free to use this thread to tell us more about your interests, previous work or future plans concerning humor and the law... 

In our case, we are both interested in the cross-disciplinary analysis of legal cases concerning humor and the limits of free speech -- including for example defamation, hate speech or copyright violation among others. You can find out more about our research on our profile pages:

https://www.rug.nl/staff/a.godioli/

https://law.temple.edu/contact/laura-e-little/

And here is the website of the Forum for Humor and the Law, also featuring posts from fellow ISHS members Smile
https://www.forhum.org/ 

Best wishes everyone,

Alberto and Laura]]> <![CDATA[Introduce Yourself to SIG: Performing Humour]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=7 Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:51:45 +0000 Alexander Sparrow]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=7
Welcome again to the SIG: Performing forum! This thread is for introducing yourself to the group. A loosely followed format will help make all the information easy to find, so let's start with the format below. My introduction will follow this post.

Name:
Field: 
Area/s of interest:
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type):
Introductory paragraph:
Name: Alexander Sparrow
Field: Philosophy
Area/s of interest: Aesthetics and ethics of stand-up comedy
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type): Yes, writer and performer
Introductory paragraph:
I'm interested in using humour studies to improve stand-up comedy (both for myself and other comedians). My aesthetic interest is working out how jokes can be made maximally effective, i.e. laugh-producing. My ethical interests lie in defending comedy against claims that it should be limited in terms of subject matter, joke targets, or comedic sub-genre. At this stage, I defend the benign violation theory in a limited way: arguing that it can be shown to improve jokes strictly within the field of stand-up comedy. (The original argument that it encompasses and explains all instances of humour is not relevant to my work, which is limited to the study and performance of stand-up comedy.)]]>
Welcome again to the SIG: Performing forum! This thread is for introducing yourself to the group. A loosely followed format will help make all the information easy to find, so let's start with the format below. My introduction will follow this post.

Name:
Field: 
Area/s of interest:
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type):
Introductory paragraph:
Name: Alexander Sparrow
Field: Philosophy
Area/s of interest: Aesthetics and ethics of stand-up comedy
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type): Yes, writer and performer
Introductory paragraph:
I'm interested in using humour studies to improve stand-up comedy (both for myself and other comedians). My aesthetic interest is working out how jokes can be made maximally effective, i.e. laugh-producing. My ethical interests lie in defending comedy against claims that it should be limited in terms of subject matter, joke targets, or comedic sub-genre. At this stage, I defend the benign violation theory in a limited way: arguing that it can be shown to improve jokes strictly within the field of stand-up comedy. (The original argument that it encompasses and explains all instances of humour is not relevant to my work, which is limited to the study and performance of stand-up comedy.)]]> <![CDATA[Join the Online Humour group!]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=6 Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:18:29 +0000 Liisi Laineste]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=6
We are happy to welcome you to the Online Humour special interest group!

As you might have guessed from its title, our SIG studies humour that emerges in online contexts. The questions that we ask address:
the globalisation / localisation of humour,
interactional aspects and metapragmatics of creating and sharing humour,
humour and hate speech,
genres of online humour, etc.

The group aims at connecting researchers from different countries and disciplinary backgrounds. The collaboration within the group is focused on developing new interdisciplinary methodologies and giving an impulse to initiate joint research projects.

The group welcomes everyone interested in online humour, and encourages students and early career researchers to join. If you are interested in joining, please email us at liisi@folklore.ee or anastasiya.fiadotava@folklore.ee, and don’t forget to post anything that is related to our topic!

May your holiday season be full of joy and funny memesSmile

Liisi and Anastasiya



May your holiday season be full of joy and funny memesSmile
Liisi and Anastasiya]]>
We are happy to welcome you to the Online Humour special interest group!

As you might have guessed from its title, our SIG studies humour that emerges in online contexts. The questions that we ask address:
the globalisation / localisation of humour,
interactional aspects and metapragmatics of creating and sharing humour,
humour and hate speech,
genres of online humour, etc.

The group aims at connecting researchers from different countries and disciplinary backgrounds. The collaboration within the group is focused on developing new interdisciplinary methodologies and giving an impulse to initiate joint research projects.

The group welcomes everyone interested in online humour, and encourages students and early career researchers to join. If you are interested in joining, please email us at liisi@folklore.ee or anastasiya.fiadotava@folklore.ee, and don’t forget to post anything that is related to our topic!

May your holiday season be full of joy and funny memesSmile

Liisi and Anastasiya



May your holiday season be full of joy and funny memesSmile
Liisi and Anastasiya]]> <![CDATA[Welcome!]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=5 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:31:56 +0000 Chiara Bucaria]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=5 A big virtual welcome to the SIG in Humor and Translation. We’re very interested in all aspects of translated humor and cross-cultural humorous communication. We look forward to welcoming your thoughts and ideas, upcoming events and publications (new and old) on the subject and to stimulating conversations.
 
Let’s keep it fun!
 
Chiara and Anthony]]> A big virtual welcome to the SIG in Humor and Translation. We’re very interested in all aspects of translated humor and cross-cultural humorous communication. We look forward to welcoming your thoughts and ideas, upcoming events and publications (new and old) on the subject and to stimulating conversations.
 
Let’s keep it fun!
 
Chiara and Anthony]]> <![CDATA[Welcome]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=4 Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000 David McGee]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=4
I welcome any contributions. Look forward to interesting, challenging and lively debate.

Best,

David McGee
Stratford up Avon, UK]]>
I welcome any contributions. Look forward to interesting, challenging and lively debate.

Best,

David McGee
Stratford up Avon, UK]]> <![CDATA[Introductions]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=3 Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:52:36 +0000 Nicole Graham]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=3 [font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Dear all,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]We thought it would be helpful to introduce ourselves and we encourage you to do the same. [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]I'm Dr Nicole Graham and I am currently a Lecturer in Ethics and Values at King's College London and the Media Officer of the Humour and Religion Network. My teaching and research examines the relationship of humour and religion; the ethics of laughter and humour; and the place of offence, including blasphemy, in contemporary society. I have written on the ethics of laughter during game-playing (2020) and the acceptability of laughter in the early Christian tradition (2022) and have a number of things in the works on humour and religion - so keep an eye out in 2024! [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Best wishes,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Nicole [/font]]]> [font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Dear all,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]We thought it would be helpful to introduce ourselves and we encourage you to do the same. [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]I'm Dr Nicole Graham and I am currently a Lecturer in Ethics and Values at King's College London and the Media Officer of the Humour and Religion Network. My teaching and research examines the relationship of humour and religion; the ethics of laughter and humour; and the place of offence, including blasphemy, in contemporary society. I have written on the ethics of laughter during game-playing (2020) and the acceptability of laughter in the early Christian tradition (2022) and have a number of things in the works on humour and religion - so keep an eye out in 2024! [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Best wishes,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Nicole [/font]]]> <![CDATA[Welcome]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=2 Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:51:31 +0000 Nicole Graham]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=2 [font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Dear all,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]We're very pleased to welcome you to the ISHS forum on Humour and Religion. Please do use this space to post about all things related to humour and religion, including (but not limited to) questions on the subject, thoughts on current events, sharing new scholarship, and publicising up-and-coming events. [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]We look forward to hearing from you. [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Best wishes,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Nicole & Lina [/font]]]> [font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Dear all,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]We're very pleased to welcome you to the ISHS forum on Humour and Religion. Please do use this space to post about all things related to humour and religion, including (but not limited to) questions on the subject, thoughts on current events, sharing new scholarship, and publicising up-and-coming events. [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]We look forward to hearing from you. [/font]
[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Best wishes,[/font]

[font='Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web (West European)', 'Segoe UI', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif]Nicole & Lina [/font]]]>