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The Underexplored Role of Humorous Play in the Second Language Classroom

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Spontaneous Play in the Language Classroom

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Abstract

This chapter begins by highlighting the research neglect of the second language classroom as a social entity. Although the importance of taking account of the fluid and complex natures of individual and group identities in the language learning context is now beginning to be recognised, there is still a need to investigate language learners through the prism of their social interactions. The chapter goes on to explore the often subversive and incongruous nature of humorous language play, something which helps explain the fact that it has largely been ignored in classroom research. The chapter finishes by pointing to the scant research into how learners, especially at the lower end of the proficiency spectrum, manage to play in the target language and the role of that play in the development of a classroom’s social life.

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  1. Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

    David Hann

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Hann, D. (2020). The Underexplored Role of Humorous Play in the Second Language Classroom. In: Spontaneous Play in the Language Classroom. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26304-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26304-1_2

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