A Discourse Analysis on Humor Employed in Philippine TV Shows

This study utilized a qualitative approach, specifically discourse analysis, to examine the types, techniques, and functions of humor in Philippine TV shows featured on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. Utilizing Shade’s (1996) Categories of Humor, Berger’s (1997) Techniques of Humor, and Hay’s (2000) Functions of Humor as its guiding framework, the researchers selected 30 videos from Eat Bulaga!, It’s Showtime, and Bubble Gang, which aired between 2023 and 2025, based on popularity, comedic content, and accessibility. Each clip was transcribed, translated, and coded to identify humor elements. The results revealed that among the twelve types of verbal humor, pun, joke, satire, farce, and irony appeared most frequently. For humor techniques, pun/wordplay ranked highest, with repetition, over-literalness, and insults also prominent. In terms of functions, solidarity emerged as the most dominant, highlighting humor’s role in strengthening the connection between the host and the audience. In contrast, power and psychological functions were observed less frequently. These findings suggest that humor in Philippine television serves both entertainment and social connection purposes, but it can also unintentionally reinforce stereotypes or offensive comments if not moderated. This study emphasizes the need for educators to recognize humor’s influence on students’ perceptions and to establish limits to proper classroom humor. Apart from educational relevance, this research provides insight into Filipino cultural expression and media consumption patterns, which aid in promoting media literacy for respectful, inclusive, and culturally appropriate communication. The results from this study may guide teacher training, media critique, and further research on how humor shapes entertainment and affects audiences.