Using humour is a good way to create a positive atmosphere in the primary English classroom and it helps the children to concentrate and to enjoy the lesson. Humour can for example be found in storybooks and is therefore seemingly easily accessible. Yet, it might be difficult for the children to understand in terms of their cognitive development or their cultural knowledge.
This leads to some questions concerning the use of humorous children’s books to teach language and culture of English-speaking countries to German primary school children. Firstly, it can be asked if picture books from different cultural backgrounds and with different kinds of humour can be used in primary school and what are possible difficulties in using books from a culture which is different from the listener’s culture. Furthermore, it can be interesting to look at important factors to consider when using a humorous picture book, like cultural specific humour and children’s humour. Finding approaches to answer these questions will be the focus of this paper. To do so, it shall be looked at theories of humour which will be applied to a German and an English picture book to analyse the humour used in these books.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definitions of Humour and Laughter
3. Children’s Humour
4. English and German Humour
4.1 English Humour
4.2 German Humour
5. Humour in The Queen’s Knickers and The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business
5.1 Humour in The Queen’s Knickers
5.2 Humour in The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper explores the potential of using humorous children's picture books to teach language and culture in a primary English classroom. By analyzing two specific books—one English and one German—the study investigates how different cultural humor styles and children’s developmental stages of humor influence the selection and didactic application of these materials.
- The theoretical foundations of humor and laughter in children.
- Comparative analysis of English and German humor characteristics.
- Evaluation of culturally specific humor in primary education.
- Didactic strategies for integrating picture books into the EFL classroom.
Excerpt from the Book
5.1 Humour in The Queen’s Knickers
In The Queen’s Knickers by Nicholas Allan (2012), the story of the Queen and her knickers is told. The Queen has knickers for all occasions and they are of great importance for the Queen, both personally and to be able to do her job properly. The picture book is an example for authentic English humorous children’s literature.
The choice of the Queen as the butt of the jokes in the books is the first characteristic that is remarkable. She is shown as a person who worries about everyday problems like clothing but these problems are presented in an exaggerated way. This choice can be seen as an example for a characteristic of English humour as discussed in the previous chapter: making fun of oneself – or in this case making fun of one’s own culture. Choosing the Queen as a person to make fun about is also appropriate for humorous children’s literature: Dowling (2014: 128) found out that school-aged children consider something funny when it goes against norms or breaks rules.
Another important characteristic of the humour of the book is the importance of the knickers. “It caused a great crisis” (Allan, 2012) when the knickers got lost and the “Very Important Pair” of knickers are in a safe together “with other state secrets” (ibid.). This matches the findings of Lucia Binder (1970). She states that English children’s literature often contains exaggerations and that they invite children to play along and trigger laughter (ibid.: 34) which makes the humour in the book suitable for children while being an example for English humour.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the motivation for using humorous books in primary EFL classrooms and outlines the core research questions regarding cultural and developmental suitability.
2. Definitions of Humour and Laughter: Examines various psychological theories of humor to establish a working definition for identifying humor in literature.
3. Children’s Humour: Explores developmental stages of how children perceive and produce humor, emphasizing their preference for non-expected events and wordplay.
4. English and German Humour: Contrasts the cultural characteristics of English humor, such as irony and understatement, with German tendencies toward observational and situational humor.
5. Humour in The Queen’s Knickers and The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business: Analyzes the selected picture books for cultural markers and their suitability for young learners in Germany.
6. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, offering practical implications for teachers and reasserting the value of authentic materials in intercultural learning.
Keywords
Humour, EFL Classroom, Picture Books, English Culture, German Culture, Children's Humour, Incongruity, Language Teaching, Intercultural Learning, Situational Comedy, Primary School, Literacy, Literature Analysis, Didactics, Educational Psychology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the integration of humorous children’s picture books into the primary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, evaluating their potential for language and cultural acquisition.
Which books are analyzed?
The study analyzes "The Queen’s Knickers" by Nicholas Allan (English author) and "The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business" by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch (German authors).
What are the main cultural differences in humor discussed?
The work highlights that English humor often employs irony, understatement, and self-deprecation, whereas German humor frequently utilizes situational comedy, wordplay, and observational narratives.
What is the core research question?
The research asks whether picture books from differing cultural backgrounds are suitable for German primary school children and how to navigate potential difficulties related to cultural specificity.
What methodology is used?
The author applies theoretical frameworks of humor (such as those by Gelfert and Shibles) to qualitatively analyze the chosen texts, assessing their humor through the lens of children's cognitive development.
What role does humor play in the classroom?
Humor is identified as a tool to boost student concentration, manage anxiety, and foster a positive, motivating learning atmosphere.
Why is the subject of faeces in the "Little Mole" book considered suitable?
Based on studies like Dowling (2014), the text argues that children find topics considered "inappropriate" or "taboo" by adults to be inherently funny, which makes this specific content engaging for the target age group.
What did the analysis reveal about cultural references in "The Queen’s Knickers"?
The analysis showed that while some references (like the Queen's Christmas message) might be unfamiliar to German children, the book remains effective because the primary humor is situational and visual.
- Citar trabajo
- Nina Schütze (Autor), 2017, Analysing Humorous Storybooks for the Use in the Primary EFL Classroom, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/437570
