A cross-sectional analysis of teacher-initiated verbal humor and ludic language play in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context

Abstract

Although research on second language (L2) humor and language play is burgeoning, most previous studies have addressed language learners. Thus, L2 teachers in general and EFL teachers in particular have comparatively received much less attention in the literature. The present research, to my knowledge, is the first study in the Iranian context and one of the few studies in an (Asian) EFL setting that examines both qualitatively and quantitatively teacher-initiated verbal humor and ludic language play across proficiencies. In this study, within an ethnographic research design, the video-recorded talk-in-interaction of 12 Iranian EFL teachers were scrutinized to discern how they employed linguistic devices to create humorous language play in various forms and for different purposes. Additionally, the teacher participants’ self-reports of humor use as individuals and their follow-up interview responses were taken into account in further analysis and discussion of the findings. Among other things, it was found that learners’ L2 proficiency could contribute to the extent and type of teacher humor. Moreover, such humor might be employed (and “extended”) to pursue (pro)social, affective and/or managerial objectives. In this paper, considering the participants’ attitudes and concerns regarding humor use, suggestions for successful implementation of teacher humor were also put forward.

Keywords

• teacher humor
• language play
• efl teachers
• language proficiency
• efl learners