USING HUMOUR IN A LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Mirna VidakovićFaculty of Economics, Subotica, Serbia

1. Define your word, define your world

Define the following:

RUNNING LATTEUNBRELLA

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.

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

• 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.

• 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

Advertising slogans

What do these slogans advertise?

1. The byte into an apple.2. Every bubble’s passed its fizzical.3. Get your tingue in a twost.4. You’ll find there’s no Camparison.5. Earth – that’s what you would eat if you lived on Mars.6. Social networking since 1873.

Advertising slogans1. The byte into an Apple. (Apple computers)2. Every bubble’s passed its fizzical. (Corona)3. Get your tingue in a twost. (Typhoo)4. You’ll find there’s not Camparison. (Campari)5. Earth – that’s what you would eat if you lived on Mars. (Mars)6. 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?

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).

We know drama

“A dramatic surprise on a quiet square“

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw

•What is the promotion for?•Why has this sort of promotion been used?

We know drama

Would you push the button?

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

Through the looking glass

• Rare voluntary species for extinction applies • of ebooks Rise children’s traditional threatening Google skills• Starbucks first to coffee world’s “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

• 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”

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)

Thank you for your attention.

vmirna@tippnet.rs