Although some believe the words "British Humor" to be an oxymoron, most informed people understand that the British are well known for their sophisticated senses of humor. Humor is such an important part of British life that it has even pervaded their very language.
尽管有些人认为“英式幽默”本身就是个矛盾所在,但是见识多广的人都知道英国人以其复杂的幽默感而闻名。幽默是英国人的生活中非常重要的一部分,以至于其在英语中都普遍存在。
British humor is a somewhat general term applied to certain comedic motifs that are often prevalent in humor in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth. A strong theme of sarcasm and self-deprecation, often with deadpan delivery, runs throughout British humor. Emotion is often buried under humor in a way that seems insensitive to other cultures. Jokes are told about everything and almost no subject is taboo, though often a lack of subtlety when discussing controversial issues is considered crass . Many UK comedy TV shows typical of British humor have been internationally popular, and have been an important channel for the export and representation of British culture to the international audience.
英式幽默在某种程度上,常用来指在英国或者英联邦流行的某些戏剧效果。讽刺以及自嘲,且含蓄是英式幽默的主要特点。英式幽默看起来没有涉及其他文化,正是用这种方式将真正要表达的情感隐藏在幽默之中。尽管很多人认为无所顾忌讨论有争议的话题是愚蠢的,但是在英国,幽默随处可见,且主题没有任何禁忌。典型的英式幽默电视剧在全球非常流行,且这些英剧成为全球观众了解英国文化的重要途径。