Comic objectification of the aesthetic value concept of beauty in English linguistic culture

The aim of the work is to examine the humorous characteristics of the value concept of beauty. The relevance of the study is predetermined by the fact that actualizing the value concept of beauty within the framework of humorous discourse is analyzed in detail for the first time. The present work applies an axiological approach to studying humorous discourse. This approach consists of four main steps: evaluating the audience's reaction to statements that describe the beauty of a person; identifying the comic characteristics of a person when actualizing the concept of beauty; analyzing the remarks expressing an evaluation of the beauty of the comic object; analyzing linguistic means expressing the concept of „beauty‟. The corpus of the study comprises recordings and scripts of more than 70 episodes of stand-up comedies and 700 episodes of various situational comedies. Studying the literature has shown that beauty has both a static nature (different physical characteristics and states) and a dynamic nature (movements and actions). While analyzing the practical material, it was revealed that in order to create a humorous effect when actualizing the concept of „beauty‟, it is necessary to neutralize the superiority of the comic object. Two ways of neutralizing have been noted: focusing on a particular physical merit; manifesting a certain anti-value state by the object of beauty. When focusing on a particular phenomenon, a humorous effect is based on metonymy, with the main signs of beauty being large male genitalia and female breasts. A humorous effect in the case of the manifesting an anti-value state by an object of beauty is mainly based on a defeated expectancy. The main anti-value states of the object of beauty are stupidity, cruelty, greed, and lust.