【英语时差8,16】笑话的来源及演变（上）

（单词翻译）

Did you ever make up a joke? I mean entirely¹, start to finish, not using anybody else’s ideas or repeating something you’ve heard before? Not just filling in the blanks, as in the “knock knock” variety, or retelling a funny story? Did You Yourself Ever Make Up A Joke? Once I put those restrictions² on you, your first answer of “yes” probably became “well, not really.” Or, if you still said “yes,” I bet³ you only made up one, a few years ago. That’s interesting, because there are literally⁴ thousands of jokes floating around, all the time. The internet is full of jokes. Go to a party any weekend and you might hear several new jokes. Where Are They All Coming From?