A detailed typology of the types of linguistic ambiguity explored in jokes is proposed. Examples are provided and discussed. Some classificational endevours by other authors are noted and critiqued. A new concept, ambiguation, is introduced. Various types of ambiguators are discussed and exemplified.
Laughter is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition of funniness.
Funniness is here viewed from an audience subjective-perceptive angle. It is acknowledged that a huge variety of factors determine whether a given joke is perceived as funny. In terms of the ambiguity-based theory, it is proposed and demonstrated that funniness increases with growing amount of ambiguity, and decreases with increasing ambiguation.