This chapter investigates the role of misunderstandings in Roman comedy. Drawing on Common Ground (CG) theories, this analysis explores failures in communication as an important mechanism for humor. It takes Roman comedies of the 3rd–2nd centuries BCE as a corpus, and describes the structure of misunderstandings, their function within interaction, and similarities and differences with misunderstandings in Roman tragedy. By applying CG frameworks to this corpus, the chapter highlights how misunderstandings serve to trigger laughter and contributes to humour, thereby situating its findings at the intersection of Cognitive Linguistics, Historical Pragmatics, and the study of Roman theatre.
Iurescia, F., Misunderstandings in Roman Comedy, in Gabriel Evangelo, G. E., George C. Paraskevioti, G. C. P. (ed.), Laughter and Humour in Latin Literature: (Not) Laugh Out Loud, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle Upon Tyne 2026: 71- 90 [https://hdl.handle.net/10807/331416]
Misunderstandings in Roman Comedy
Iurescia, Federica
Primo
2026
Abstract
This chapter investigates the role of misunderstandings in Roman comedy. Drawing on Common Ground (CG) theories, this analysis explores failures in communication as an important mechanism for humor. It takes Roman comedies of the 3rd–2nd centuries BCE as a corpus, and describes the structure of misunderstandings, their function within interaction, and similarities and differences with misunderstandings in Roman tragedy. By applying CG frameworks to this corpus, the chapter highlights how misunderstandings serve to trigger laughter and contributes to humour, thereby situating its findings at the intersection of Cognitive Linguistics, Historical Pragmatics, and the study of Roman theatre.
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