From crisis to joke: linguistic markers and thematic strategies of COVID satire in standup comedy in the USA and Russia
https://doi.org/10.17021/2712-9519-2026-1-116-133
Abstract
The present article is devoted to a comparative analysis of thematic features and linguistic means of stand-up comedy in the United States and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors explore how comedians from both countries mock the irrational behavior of people and the policy of the states to combat the spread of the virus through hyperbole, sarcasm, absurdity, irony and rhetorical questions. The examples of jokes by Louis C.K., Bill Burr, Doug Stanhope (USA) and Sergey Orlov, Dmitry Romanov, Anton Borisov (Russia) show that the common themes for comedy in both countries are: wearing masks, keeping social distance and lockdown. Differences in themes due to cultural context. US comedians mention the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, sexual harassment during the abolition culture, and the death of elderly relatives in nursing homes. Russian comedians focused on the topics of making fake negative coronavirus tests, vaccinations, and the use of QR codes as a tool of segregation.
About the Author
O. Yu. Shevchenko
Belgorod State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Oleg Yu. Shevchenko, postgraduate student
Belgorod
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Review
For citations:
Shevchenko O.Yu. From crisis to joke: linguistic markers and thematic strategies of COVID satire in standup comedy in the USA and Russia. Linguistics & education. 2026;6(1):116-133. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17021/2712-9519-2026-1-116-133
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