Exploring Humour and its Functions in the Classroom: A Sample of a Turkish Language Class

This paper aims to identify and analyse the functions of humour in naturally occurring interactions through Conversation Analysis (CA) and observation as the methodological framework. The data for this study were obtained through audio recordings and regular observation of an adult EFL class held regularly for two months at a private language school. Observation has been used to complement the information gathered from the audio-recorded data. Sixteen teaching hours (40-45 minutes each) have been transcribed and studied to identify the patterns featuring the different functions of humour use, its extent and responses to it. The recorded interactions demonstrate that humour is not only a gratuitous practice, even though it is mostly spontaneous. Rather, it is frequently used for pedagogical reasons such as facilitating access to L2 cultural knowledge resources embedded in humorous exchanges, building rapport among participants and making the teacher more approachable.