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Applying the linguistic theory of humour to grammar teaching through metaphor, pun and ambiguity

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The article's organizing framework is the application of the linguistic theory of humour to explaining a difficult grammar topic. The researchers "worked in applying the linguistic devices of humour: metaphor, pun, and ambiguity", using these devices to explain inherent and non-inherent adjectives and to design "humorous, funny and incongruous activities which evoke laughter". The theory holds that humour arises from incongruity that learners perceive and resolve, and that resolving it focuses attention on the instructional content.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • The teacher must be able to perceive and resolve humour; the article states effectiveness "depends on the students' ability to perceive and then resolve the incongruity in a humorous instruction"
  • Humour must be relevant to the course content and appropriate in form

Constraints

  • The method "is very much dependent on the teacher's creativity" and "takes the most time and creativity on the part of the teacher"
  • Styles of humour are culture-dependent, so humour must fit the learners' culture

Target Learners

  • EFL university students learning English grammar

Learning Goals

  • Understanding inherent and non-inherent adjectives
  • Retention and recall of grammar rules

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Rufaidah Kamal Abdulmajeed & Sarab Khalil Hameed. (2017). Using a Linguistic Theory of Humour in Teaching English Grammar. English Language Teaching, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n2p40
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id linguistic-theory-of-humour-in-grammar-teaching
title Applying the linguistic theory of humour to grammar teaching through metaphor, pun and ambiguity
description The article's organizing framework is the application of the linguistic theory of humour to explaining a difficult grammar topic.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-02
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — rufaidah-kamal-abdulmajeed-sarab-khalil-hameed-2017

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