Abstract ：As a means of interpersonal communication, humor is the nuclear part of all cultures and languages. It is a pervasive phenomenon that penetrates every aspect of social life. Humor is an important part of English. It reflects English culture, the value of English culture, prejudice, reality and so on. The source of English humor producing is various. There are clever use of figures of speech, violation of cooperative principle, history of English, social and cultural effects and specific manifestations.

Keywords: humor; cultural background; social effect; cooperative principle 

摘要：幽默作为一种人际沟通的手段，是所有文化和语言的核心部分。这是一个渗透于社会生活中方方面面的普遍现象。幽默是英语的重要组成部分，幽默反映英语文化，反映了英语文化中的价值、偏见以及现实等。英语幽默产生的根源多种多样，有修辞格的巧妙运用，有违反合作原则的体现，有英语的发展史，有社会和文化影响，有英语具体的表现形式。

关键词：幽默;文化背景;社会影响;合作原则