Linguistic Personality of Homo Ridens

The article is part of a more detailed study of a linguistic laughing personality (homo ridens) in British literature within the framework of the theory of anthropocentrism. The results of the scientific literature analysis aimed at the study of the concept of “linguistic personality” and “laughing linguistic personality”, in particular, are presented. From a wide range of examples starting from Chaucer up to the present we have selected the brightest characters in the English literature represented by W. Shakespeare and B. Shaw to highlight the main characteristics of the communicative style of homo ridens behavior. The analysis of the development of the personality is provided and the ways of achieving humorous effect in the process of communication in humorous discourse are given. The main factors of influence (psychological, social, cultural, etc.) on the formation of a laughing communicative personality are highlighted. The perception, understanding and interpretation of the world are covered within humorous discourse. Particular attention is paid to the intentions of comedians to use high-quality intellectual humor not only to create a humorous effect, but also for a philosophical explanation of the basic realities and laws of being. Shakespearean fools characterized as highly intellectual communicative people tend to influence their humor on the ruler and, thus, to the development of consciousness of the nation as a whole. Both linguistic and extra-linguistic means of expressing opinion by a laughing personality are analyzed. The analysis of the ‘quality’ of English humor has been carried out in order to show the influence of English fools as mimetic personalities on the British society in general. The ability of the communicative personality of homo ridens within the norms adopted by society to clearly reflect the realities of life of their era in a humorous form is characterized that further allows us to analyze the identity of the British comedian in diachrony.