Statistical methods for the linguistic analysis of a humorous TV sketch show

In this article some statistical methods are applied to analyse a humorous TV sketch show, Goodness Gracious Me! The typical text and corpus analysis based on the frequency and distribution of individual words or on recurrent phraseology can only provide a first descriptive insight into a humorous TV product. In addition to text features, two other aspects must be considered: the presence of verbal and visual humorous stances and the way the audience perceive them. The article shows how statistical techniques provides helpful tools to the textual analysis of the show and illustrates the results from a survey study concerning the opinions of viewers on the type of humour which characterizes this particular TV programme.