8 The DCT as a data collection method for L2 humor production
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Nancy Bell
Abstract
Humor is a pervasive feature of everyday interaction among friends, in the workplace, and in the classroom. Although previous research indicates that L2 users do, indeed, understand and employ humor in various settings, no previous studies have elicited L2 humor data with a large number of participants, which, in turn, would facilitate making broader generalizations regarding L2 humor use. A method that may lend itself to large-scale collection of L2 humor data is the discourse completion task (DCT). This study sought to develop a DCT to elicit humor, explore when L2 users employ humor in the DCT, and evaluate the DCT as a method for collecting L2 humor data. The results indicate that the instrument was effective in eliciting humor from L2 speakers, that perception of humor encouraged creation of humor, and that target language, mother tongue, and humor directionality (i.e., self- vs. other-directed) affected humor perception and production.
Abstract
Humor is a pervasive feature of everyday interaction among friends, in the workplace, and in the classroom. Although previous research indicates that L2 users do, indeed, understand and employ humor in various settings, no previous studies have elicited L2 humor data with a large number of participants, which, in turn, would facilitate making broader generalizations regarding L2 humor use. A method that may lend itself to large-scale collection of L2 humor data is the discourse completion task (DCT). This study sought to develop a DCT to elicit humor, explore when L2 users employ humor in the DCT, and evaluate the DCT as a method for collecting L2 humor data. The results indicate that the instrument was effective in eliciting humor from L2 speakers, that perception of humor encouraged creation of humor, and that target language, mother tongue, and humor directionality (i.e., self- vs. other-directed) affected humor perception and production.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Acknowledgements XI
- Contents XIII
- List of contributors XVII
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: Learning and teaching speech acts
- 1 Pragmatic competence and speech-act research in second language pragmatics 11
- 2 Systemic functional linguistics applied to analyze L2 speech acts: Analysis of advice-giving in a written text 27
- 3 Learning about L2 Spanish requests abroad through classroom and ethnography-based pragmatics instruction 58
- 4 Effectiveness of a post-study abroad pedagogical intervention in learning compliments and compliment responses in L2 Spanish 81
- 5 ¡Madre mía de mi alma!: Pragmalinguistic variation and gender differences in perception of piropos in Badajoz, Spain 103
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Part II: Assessing pragmatic competence
- 6 Assessing L2 pragmatic competence 131
- 7 Testing of L2 pragmatics: The challenge of implicit knowledge 142
- 8 The DCT as a data collection method for L2 humor production 156
- 9 Strategic competence and pragmatic proficiency in L2 role plays 179
-
Part III: Analyzing discourses in L2 digital contexts
- 10 Researching digital discourse in second language pragmatics 197
- 11 Pragmalinguistic variation in L2 Spanish e-mail requests: Learner strategies and instructor perceptions 208
- 12 Affordances of game-enhanced learning: A classroom intervention for enhancing concept-based pragmatics instruction 236
-
Part IV: Current issues in L2 pragmatics
- 13 Explicit knowledge in L2 pragmatics? 255
- 14 Studying speech acts: An expanded scope and refined methodologies 270
- 15 Converging agendas of rationalist and discursive approaches for the development of a pedagogy of L2 pragmatics 286
- 16 From a native-nonnative speaker dichotomy to a translingual framework 300
- 17 An introduction to discourse markers 314
- Epilogue: A personal tribute to Andrew Cohen 336
- Index 339
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Acknowledgements XI
- Contents XIII
- List of contributors XVII
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: Learning and teaching speech acts
- 1 Pragmatic competence and speech-act research in second language pragmatics 11
- 2 Systemic functional linguistics applied to analyze L2 speech acts: Analysis of advice-giving in a written text 27
- 3 Learning about L2 Spanish requests abroad through classroom and ethnography-based pragmatics instruction 58
- 4 Effectiveness of a post-study abroad pedagogical intervention in learning compliments and compliment responses in L2 Spanish 81
- 5 ¡Madre mía de mi alma!: Pragmalinguistic variation and gender differences in perception of piropos in Badajoz, Spain 103
-
Part II: Assessing pragmatic competence
- 6 Assessing L2 pragmatic competence 131
- 7 Testing of L2 pragmatics: The challenge of implicit knowledge 142
- 8 The DCT as a data collection method for L2 humor production 156
- 9 Strategic competence and pragmatic proficiency in L2 role plays 179
-
Part III: Analyzing discourses in L2 digital contexts
- 10 Researching digital discourse in second language pragmatics 197
- 11 Pragmalinguistic variation in L2 Spanish e-mail requests: Learner strategies and instructor perceptions 208
- 12 Affordances of game-enhanced learning: A classroom intervention for enhancing concept-based pragmatics instruction 236
-
Part IV: Current issues in L2 pragmatics
- 13 Explicit knowledge in L2 pragmatics? 255
- 14 Studying speech acts: An expanded scope and refined methodologies 270
- 15 Converging agendas of rationalist and discursive approaches for the development of a pedagogy of L2 pragmatics 286
- 16 From a native-nonnative speaker dichotomy to a translingual framework 300
- 17 An introduction to discourse markers 314
- Epilogue: A personal tribute to Andrew Cohen 336
- Index 339
