Humor in kinderverhale in die tersiêre en intermediêre fases van taalonderwys

Abstract

Humour in children’s literature in the tertiary and intermediate phases of language education

Humour is essential in the development of an individual and in the development of a healthy society in general, and research on humour is currently regarded as important in a variety of disciplines in the humanities. There are various ways in which an individual may be exposed to humour, and one of these is children’s stories. An instrument or model for studying humour in children’s stories is necessary and very useful: an instrument that takes into account developmental psychology, literary theory and the nature of humour. When these are combined, the nature, scope and effect of humour in children’s stories can be determined. This article explores ways in which such a model can be used at tertiary level in undergraduate and graduate studies, in teacher training and at the intermediate level when facilitating reading as one of the learning aims in language teaching to children from eight to twelve years (roughly Grades 4 to 6). Humour can be an instrument in the hands of authors and of adults as mediator or facilitator to sensitise young readers to humour in stories. As a consequence of this process of sensitising, readers’ reading and life skills are developed and their horizon of experience is broadened.