ECSTRA/Humor

(1) Is humor in your nation used in formal situations?, e.g.
 * 1. in business presentations
 * 2. business conversations
 * 3. conversations with administration officials
 * 4. conversations with your professor
 * 5. other situations

(2) If humor is used in these situations, what kind of humor is used?, e.g.
 * A. puns
 * B. humorous anecdotes
 * C. irony

(Please remember our guidelines.)

AT: Austria
Vienna, Lower Austria (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes, in part, business conversations and colleagues; (2) irony, puns

BE: Belgium
Brussels (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Yes, always appreciated; (2) irony related to politics, puns, funny anecdotes (ECSTRA-Q)

CH: Switzerland
Lausanne (French-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes, even sometimes considered good in business presentations or conversations, during courses, not ith administrative officials; (2) varying from person to person or from group to group

CZ: Czech Republic
Bohemia (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) very rarely, only when the partner is open for humor; (2) puns

DE: Germany
Bremen (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes; (2) B, C

south (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) no

Saxony (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) yes, (2) puns, irony

DK: Denmark
...

EE: Estonia
...

ES: Spain
Andalucía (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Frequently; (2) A

Castilia y León (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Humor is becoming more usual, but it's not expanded to all fields, administrative officials or talks with professors; (2) B, unimportant themes/questions, jokes

FI: Finland
West Finland (Swedish-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) sometimes in business conversations (to ease up the atmosphere), sometimes in presentations; (2) self-irony

Finnish-speaking area (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) sometimes, but not much and not by all; (2) anecdotes, puns; irony rarely

FR: France
Paris (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Rarely. (2) Puns, funny anecdotes.

HR: Croatia
...

HU: Hungary
(1) 4 yes, but it depends on the topic; (2) A, B, C (ECSTRA-Q)

IE: Ireland
Dublin (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Yes, (2) irony, wit

IT: Italy
Lombardy (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) in formal situations occasionally, but not very often; it is used; (2) C, words or expressions with double meaning, no vulgar humor

Sicily (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) No.

LT: Lithuania
(1) No. (ECSTRA-Q)

LU: Luxemburg
(1)Rarely, rather no. (ECSTRA-Q)

LV: Latvia
...

MT: Malta
(1) yes, (2) anecdotes, comments about something current in the news (ECSTRA-Q)

NL: Netherlands
...

NO: Norway
...

PL: Poland
(1) yes, but also dependend on partners' generation; (2) anecdotes, but also dependend on situation (ECSTRA-Q)

PT: Portugal
Alentejo (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Sometimes, but not frequently; (2) puns, irony, anecdotes, jokes (ECSTRA-Q)

SE: Sweden
(1) Not necessarily but welcome if you can ease up the atmosphere a little without making it silly

SI: Slovenia
...

SK: Slovakia
...

UK: United Kingdom
Cambridgeshire (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Yes, when it is relevant to the situation, i.e. not a random gag; (2) irony, sarcasm

Glasgow, Scotland (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) Not usually, depends on the person you are dealing with (sometimes in business presentations); (2) puns, jokes on recent events, self-irony

Australia
(1) Occasionally; (2) puns, jokes (ECSTRA-Q)

Colombia
(1) Colombians are famous for their sense of humor; (2) A, B, C (ECSTRA-Q)

Greece
(1) occasionally; (2) funny anecdotes, irony, funny comments on social/political matters (ECSTRA-Q)

Lebanon
(1) The Lebanese basically tend to use humor in any situation; (2) a mixture of A, B, C (ECSTRA-Q)