USING HUMOUR IN A LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

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• USING HUMOUR IN A LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
• Mirna Vidakovic
• Faculty of Economics, Subotica, Serbia

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1. Define your word, define your world

• Define the following
• RUNNING LATTE
• UNBRELLA

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1. Define your word, define your world

• RUNNING LATTE showing up late to work because
  you stopped for coffee along the way.
• I told them I got stuck in traffic, but really I
  was running latte.
• UNBRELLA An umbrella turned inside out by
  forceful wind.
• It won't keep you dry but if you want to, you can
  stand under my unbrella-ella-ella.

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Urban dictionary - Define your world

• URBAN DICTIONARY

• The definitions on Urban Dictionary are meant to
  be those of slang or ethnic culture words,
  phrases, and phenomena not found in standard
  dictionaries. Most words have multiple
  definitions, usage examples, and tags.
• http//www.urbandictionary.com

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• http//ec.europa.eu/publications/archives/young/01
  /txt_whatme_racist_en.pdf
• Humorous and informative pamphlet that can be
  used to address discrimination on grounds of sex,
  race, ethnic origin, religion or belief,
  disability, age or sexual orientation.

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• daily papers, magazines
• www.gocomics.com
• www.cartoonstock.com

• Cartoons are powerful teaching tools and can
• Tell a complex story in a few images
• Provide comment and provoke thought on events and
  issues in the news
• Give an example of vocabulary related to current
  trends and fads
• Provide easily identifiable characters to form
  the basis for sketches
• Show culture in action with the ways that men or
  women are behaving and are expected to behave
• Comment on and illustrate a whole range of issues
  like racism, teenage relationships, sexism,
  ageism, family relationships.
• Lavery, 2011

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Advertising slogans

• What do these slogans advertise?
• The byte into an apple.
• Every bubbles passed its fizzical.
• Get your tingue in a twost.
• Youll find theres no Camparison.
• Earth thats what you would eat if you lived on
  Mars.
• Social networking since 1873.

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Advertising slogans

• The byte into an Apple. (Apple computers)
• Every bubbles passed its fizzical. (Corona)
• Get your tingue in a twost. (Typhoo)
• Youll find theres not Camparison. (Campari)
• Earth thats what you would eat if you lived on
  Mars. (Mars)
• Social networking since 1873. (Heineken)
• How many meanings do they convey? What are they?
• How is that achieved?
• Which slogans do you like the most? Why?

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Metaphors

• Metaphor is such a powerful conceptual tool, it
  is only to be expected that it is widely used in
  advertising, where one of the main aims clearly
  is to establish connections between different
  areas of experience, either for the purpose of
  transferring features or for creating an effect
  that attracts attention. (Lundmark 2005 40).

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We know drama

• A dramatic surprise on a quiet square
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v316AzLYfAzw
• What is the promotion for?
• Why has this sort of promotion been used?

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We know drama

• Would you push the button?

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Advertisements

• What can we do with ads
• study language
• study and discuss culture, society, values
• analyze ads as a piece of visual art
• use ads to develop all language skills
• use them to enhance students motivation and
  creativity

• www.adsoftheworld.com
• www.coloribus.com
• www.advertlog.com
• www.advertnews.com

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Through the looking glass

• Rare voluntary species for extinction applies
• of ebooks Rise childrens traditional threatening
  Google skills
• Starbucks first to coffee worlds hands-free
  launch
• New glasses you never real have mean to see
  facebook a person again
• person event attends concert attempting Young
  without to record entire on mobile rock phone
• launch McDonalds for eaters to Unhappy Meal
  binge

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• discuss some interesting ideas that have come up
• vote on the most amusing story
• discuss the link between the title and the story
  with the real life events or situations
• discuss the language of headlines
• investigate the language of news
• Using Newspapers in the Classroom, Paul
  Senderson
• www.newsbiscuit.com Articles and
  features range from satirical www.theonion.com
  takes on current affairs, to various silly
• www.njuz.net and bizzare
  ideas

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Humour

• is a good vehicle for providing authentic
• cultural information
• builds bridges between cultures
• practices language items in genuine contexts
• brings students closer together
• releases tension
• develops creative thinking
• provides memorable chunks of language
• reinforces previously learned items
• generates a happy classroom
• enhances motivation
• enriches textbook-based courses
• introduces a refreshing change from routine
  language-learning procedures
• Laughing Matters by Péter Medgyes (2002)

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• Thank you for your attention.
• vmirna_at_tippnet.rs