Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor
Formal language education is often predicated on a series of modernist fictions that greatly simplify the nature of language and the process of communication. Acts of linguistic creativity involving humor and language play are frequently either ignored or considered deviant. In this paper, we contri...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
E-JournALL
2014-11-01
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| Series: | EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://e-journall.org/index.php/ejall/article/view/2376905x-1-15/2074 |
| _version_ | 1827808855983128576 |
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| author | Nancy Bell Anne Pomerantz |
| author_facet | Nancy Bell Anne Pomerantz |
| author_sort | Nancy Bell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Formal language education is often predicated on a series of modernist fictions that greatly simplify the nature of language and the process of communication. Acts of linguistic creativity involving humor and language play are frequently either ignored or considered deviant. In this paper, we contribute to ongoing efforts to re-conceptualize language education in ways that make use of more robust (and less modernist) theories of language and communication. We revisit calls for more pedagogical focus on humor and language play and illustrate how more attention to these types of language might help us to move away from some of the classroom fictions that currently constrain teachers and learners alike. Specifically, we present recent conceptions of language and of communication, and discuss how, in light of these, humor and language play can be used to increase learners’ metalinguistic awareness and expand their communicative/interpretive repertoires. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:34:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ba4044460df4c53bcff9e54020b05db |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2376-905X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:34:22Z |
| publishDate | 2014-11-01 |
| publisher | E-JournALL |
| record_format | Article |
| series | EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ba4044460df4c53bcff9e54020b05db2023-09-22T22:24:16ZengE-JournALLEuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages2376-905X2014-11-01113147https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.1.15Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humorNancy Bell0Anne Pomerantz1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4114-8744Washington State UniversityUniversity of PennsylvaniaFormal language education is often predicated on a series of modernist fictions that greatly simplify the nature of language and the process of communication. Acts of linguistic creativity involving humor and language play are frequently either ignored or considered deviant. In this paper, we contribute to ongoing efforts to re-conceptualize language education in ways that make use of more robust (and less modernist) theories of language and communication. We revisit calls for more pedagogical focus on humor and language play and illustrate how more attention to these types of language might help us to move away from some of the classroom fictions that currently constrain teachers and learners alike. Specifically, we present recent conceptions of language and of communication, and discuss how, in light of these, humor and language play can be used to increase learners’ metalinguistic awareness and expand their communicative/interpretive repertoires.https://e-journall.org/index.php/ejall/article/view/2376905x-1-15/2074humorlanguage playsecond language pedagogy |
| spellingShingle | Nancy Bell Anne Pomerantz Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages humor language play second language pedagogy |
| title | Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor |
| title_full | Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor |
| title_fullStr | Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor |
| title_short | Reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor |
| title_sort | reconsidering language teaching through a focus on humor |
| topic | humor language play second language pedagogy |
| url | https://e-journall.org/index.php/ejall/article/view/2376905x-1-15/2074 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nancybell reconsideringlanguageteachingthroughafocusonhumor AT annepomerantz reconsideringlanguageteachingthroughafocusonhumor |