Students’ Perception on the Use of Humor in the Teaching of English as a Second Language in Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract:Learners' perceptions about foreign language or second language are becoming issue of attention from various scholars in applied linguistics in recent time (Ayman, 2012;Masoumeh, 2012). The effective teaching of English as Second Language (ESL) is one of the major concerns in Applied Linguistics. Hence, the paper was set out to investigate the perceptions of the use of humor in the teaching of English as L2 on the students of a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria. This approach unraveled the implication of humor both from the positive and negative sides. The paper reflected the relationship between culture and humor as reported by students. It was therefore suggested that the use of humor in the teaching of English as second language (ESL) should be done by teachers with care considering the fact that the linguistic environment is cross cultural, so that the purpose of effective teaching of ESL to learners will be achieved.

A Lexical Analysis of an Inaugural Speech of the Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly in Nigeria

“…In fact, Akinkurolere (2013) argues that language as the best gift to man is as old as man himself. More so, the society at large depends so much on language for its continual existence; this is to say that survival of an individual will be difficult without language.…”

A Double-Edged Sword of Humour: Students’ Perspectives on Teachers’ Use of Humour in EFL Classroom

“…A study by Olajoke (2013), whose participants were selected from a tertiary institute in Nigeria, uncovered the function of gender-based humour in a classroom. The researcher concluded that humour significantly influences class activities and also found that the effectiveness of humour in promoting class interactions and its appropriateness depends on students' perceptions and their expressed views regarding the range and diversity of humour used in the classroom.…”