关键词: 关键词：语义双关笑话, 谐音双关笑话, 三阶段理论, ERPs

Abstract: Pun humor is a type of verbal joke derived from either the polysemy of linguistic forms or the phonological–orthographic similarity between words. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying its processing remain insufficiently understood. Using event-related potentials (ERPs) with Chinese homograph and homophonic pun humor as stimuli, the present study systematically examined the temporal dynamics and neural substrates involved in native Chinese speakers’ comprehension of these two types of puns. We employed a 2 (material type: homograph pun, homophonic pun) × 2 (humor: humorous, non-humorous) within-subjects design. Thirty-two college students (19 males; Mage = 21.5) participated in the experiment. Stimuli consisted of homograph and homophonic pun jokes, each composed of a setup sentence followed by a two-character punchline. In the non-humorous versions, only the setup sentence was modified while the punchline remained identical to that in the humorous version. Following each trial, participants rated their subjective “surprise,” “comprehensibility,” and “funniness” on a 4-point Likert scale. The ERP results showed that, relative to non-humorous stimuli, humorous stimuli elicited enhanced P200, P600, and LPP amplitudes, reflecting sequential stages of incongruity detection, incongruity resolution, and affective appreciation, respectively. Importantly, homograph puns induced significantly larger P600 and LPP amplitudes than homophonic puns, suggesting that resolving the incongruity in semantic puns demands greater cognitive effort and elicits stronger positive emotional responses. Overall, this study provides neural evidence supporting the three-stage model of humor processing and reveals distinct neurocognitive mechanisms underlying Chinese homograph and homophonic pun humor. These findings offer novel empirical insights into the brain basis of Chinese verbal humor.

Key words: Key words: homograph pun humor, homophonic pun humor, Three-Stage Theory, ERPs