The effect of instruction on L2 learners’ ability to use verbal irony online

Abstract

Abstract As verbal irony, including jocular irony, is common in many cultures and since language learners have difficulty with it in the target language, L2 educators have made efforts to help learners recognize irony. However, empirical research on using verbal irony online is lacking. Using a pre-posttest, control group design, this study aimed to fill the research gap by examining the efficacy of instruction on the ability of L2 learners to use verbal irony effectively (e.g., saliently, humorously) in response to social media posts. Japanese learners of English (N = 77) were involved. The instruction focused on sociopragmatics (e.g., appropriate usage) and pragmalinguistic aspects (e.g., non-verbal irony cues). Two instruments of 42 mock social media posts each were created (e.g., “My boss just yelled at me even though it was HIS fault.”), and the participants were asked to choose 12 of these to respond ironically to. Two independent raters judged all 1,848 blinded responses for their overall quality. The irony types and cues were also coded by researchers. The findings suggested that the experimental group significantly improved their ability to use verbal irony appropriately and saliently. Compared to the control group, in the posttest they more often used irony in more appropriate contexts (e.g., in response to funny posts as opposed to saddening news). Moreover, they used more irony cues, and their irony was more often rated as funny in the posttest. Implications for teachers and researchers are discussed.