When humor, in written and/or oral form, is instilled into the process of learning a second language, the anxieties of language acquisition are reduced and foreign language learners of all ages and levels of educational achievement benefit—quite simply, because laughter can instinctively relax students and restore their feelings of well-being.
Moreover, the introduction of humor into the curriculum of a second language classroom can also . . .
- Teach culture, grammar, and vocabulary
- Employ reading, speaking, and listening skills
- Stimulate recall
- Promote oral fluency
- Reduce the affective barriers to successful second language acquisition
- Lower social anxieties
- Encourage student interest and involvement in lively interactions in class activities
- Provide students and teachers a respite from the formally assigned text material.
However, it is important to note that the thought processes that initiate humor also involve familiarity with the language. Therefore humorous material that is introduced into a second language classroom has to be carefully selected and appropriately selected to fit the varying levels of linguistic competence necessary for second language students to understand it.
Regarding on-line humor resources that can be tapped by ESL instructors, EnglishClub.com http://www.englishclub.com/esl-jokes/index.htm organizes jokes into beginning, intermediate and advanced English language learning levels as well as jokes told in both simple and colloquial versions.
And, The Internet TSL Journal For Teacher of English as a Second Language http://iteslj.org/c/jokes.html provides the opportunity for second language students to submit their own jokes.
Certainly, the use of humor in a second language-learning classroom in and of itself does not automatically result in a positive effect, as addressed in the paper EFFECTS OF HUMOR IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM: HUMOR AS A PEDAGOGICAL TOOL IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. http://w3.coh.arizona.edu/AWP/AWP12/AWP12%5BAskildson%5D.pdf
by Lance Askildson of the University of Arizona.
Askildson writes Humor, it would seem, is a pedagogical instrument like any other, and one, which serves as a double-edged sword—capable of improving or harming the classroom-learning environment depending on its employment by the teacher.
Suffice to say, the second language instructor needs to avoid the effects of too much or inappropriate humor by heading the following guidelines . . .
- Avoid humor that ridicules ethnic groups, or demeans either men or woman
- Employ more playful as opposed to hostile or aggressive, and more constructive humor as opposed to destructive humor that is inappropriate in a classroom setting.
- Focus on linguistic or word-based jokes based on specific elements of phonology, morphology or syntax of particular languages
ESL instructors can also look to The Reader’s Digest or The Farmers’ Almanac, both publications feature the type of neutral humor that is not typically offensive to specific individuals or groups.
With proper language instructor initiated guidelines and implementation, the benefits of a humor friendly learning environment in a second language classroom can far out way the risks—no matter the language—because humor can be universal or culture based.