ABSTRACT
In this chapter we survey research on humor in order to develop a strong foundation on which to base our discussion of classroom discourse, additional language learning, and language teaching. As we observed in the preface, humor refers to the key or manner in which elements from one’s communicative repertoire are spoken, written, or otherwise put into use. Humor may include both instances of language play and acts of creative language use. Before we review what the scholarly literature has to say about humor, take a moment to answer these questions:
How many different types of humor you can name (e.g., puns, irony, teasing)? Do the same types of humor exist in all the languages you know?
What are some reasons why we engage in humorous or playful talk with others? Is humorous talk always about enjoyment, or can other emotions be present when we are joking?
How do you know when someone is trying to be humorous?
Whom do you joke with? Whom don’t you joke with? Why?
What situations are appropriate for joking? When and where are you unlikely to find people joking around?
