Abstract

Jokes are common in life. In which, ambiguity of language plays an active role and helps the speaker and the listener to achieve communication effectively; i.e. creating and getting humour. Jokes are concise but delicate and full of artistic qualities in them. The paper analyzes the characteristics of language ambiguity as a "means" to create the humour out of jokes in Vietnamese and English; simultaneously examines the types of jokes due to language ambiguity as well as considers the possibility of using them in teaching/ learning a foreign language.