EFFECTIVE WAYS OF TEACHING PRAGMATICS: HUMOR IN THE CLASSROOM

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22409/pragmatizes.v9i17.36388

Keywords:

Pragmatics, English Teaching, Humor, Systemic-Functional Linguistics

Abstract

Pragmatics takes into account the relations between signs and their users, the speakers. When somebody says “Thanks, I’m not hungry” in response to the statement “You left the door open”, your are making a pragmatic mistake, because in such context “thanks I’m not hungry” is an inappropriate reply for the statement “You left the door open”. So, pragmatics is the dimension of the study of languages that deals with the relation between signs and their users in their concrete contexts of use, in other words, it is the study of the use of language in communication, particularly the relationships between sentences and the contexts and situations in which they are used. Pragmatics includes the study of: (a) how the interpretation and use of utterances depend on knowledge of the real world; (b) how speakers use and understand speech acts; and (c) how the structure of sentences is influenced by the relationship between the speaker and the hearer. Furthermore, within a Systemic-Functional perspective, language is functional (people use language with a purpose), semantic (the purpose is to make meaning and socially interact with other people), semiotic (meaning making by choice) and contextual (pragmatic) as social interaction influences and is influenced by the context in which it is inserted. In this line of reasoning, the objective of this paper is the consideration that in teaching L2 pragmatics the socio-culturally and contextually appropriate (or inappropriate) communication will depend on the teaching of L2 pragmatics in the classroom in certain instances, as there can be many pragmatically appropriate ways to ask for information, to schedule an appointment, etc. With this in mind, our corpus is based on utterances and situations found in teaching English as L2 environment. Our particular the context is one of a regular English class in a private English school in the state of São Paulo, Brazil in which the L2 teacher used the excerpt of the movie Philomena and comic cartoons to teach English. Some results showed that the great majority of students investigated could not make out the humorous scenes of the video scenes and cartoons before their L2 teacher explained the scenes/cartoons to them mainly due to pragmatic issues.

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Author Biographies

Ulisses Tadeu Vaz De Oliveira, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul

Ulisses Oliveira: taking postdoctoral studies at the Instituto de Estudos Medievais (IEM) - Universidade Nova de Lisboa. PhD in Applied Linguistics and Language Studies from PUC-Sao Paulo. Works at UFMS (Brazil) teaching English and Linguistics (graduation and postgraduation). Research aims: (a) ICT (blended and tandem learning); (b) Systemic-Functional Linguistics – integrated studies of literature and linguistics (transitivity, persuasion and ideology); and (c) Portuguese Philology and comparative literature.

Sumiko Nishitani Ikeda, PUC-SP

A dra. Sumiko Nishitani Ikeda possui graduação em Letras Anglo-Germânicas pela Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUCSP) (1961), mestrado em Lingüística Aplicada e Estudos da Linguagem pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (1977) e doutorado em Lingüística Aplicada e Estudos da Linguagem pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (1986). Atualmente é professora titular no curso de pós graduação em Lingüística Aplicada e Estudos da Linguagem (LAEL) da PUCSP. De 1992 a 1998, exerceu, na qualidade de professora titular, magistério e pesquisa na Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies e na Kakuritsu Kokugo Kenkyujoo de Tokyo. Tem experiência na área de Lingüística, com ênfase na interface Discurso e Gramática, atuando na linha de pesquisa Linguagem, Trabalho e Educação, principalmente nos seguintes temas: Linguística Crítica - Metáfora - Appraisal - Português para Estrangeiros - sob o enfoque em especial da Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional.

Marcelo Saparas, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados – UFGD

Possui graduação em Odontologia pela Universidade de Santo Amaro (1982), graduação em Letras - Inglês pelo Centro Universitário das Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (2004), mestrado em Linguística Aplicada e Estudos da Linguagem - PUCSP (2006) e doutorado em Linguística Aplicada e Estudos da Linguagem - PUCSP (2012). Atualmente é pesquisador de instituição externa da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul e professor adjunto da Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados. Tem experiência na área de Lingüística, com ênfase em Linguística, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: linguística, tradução, ensino da língua inglesa, persuasão e metáfora. Pós-Doutorado em ACD pela PUCSP.

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v.9, n. 17 (2019) com dossiê Planos municipais...

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Published

2020-01-19

How to Cite

De Oliveira, U. T. V., Ikeda, S. N., & Saparas, M. (2020). EFFECTIVE WAYS OF TEACHING PRAGMATICS: HUMOR IN THE CLASSROOM. PragMATIZES - Latin American Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(17), 225-237. https://doi.org/10.22409/pragmatizes.v9i17.36388

Issue

Ano 9, n. 17 (set. 2019)

Section

Artigos (em Fluxo Contínuo)

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