Heritage and Humor: An Examination of Armenian Identity, the Role of Humor, and Heritage Language Learning in College Classrooms

Given the loss of heritage languages due to assimilation of the dominant English language in U.S. society within three generations of migration to the U.S. (Wiley & Valdes, 2000), it is of paramount importance to examine how we can maintain and enhance heritage languages. Humor is a pragmatic tool which one can utilize to increase communicative competence in a language, allowing one to not only increase the target language skills but also add to general content and cultural knowledge, while also dismantling previously held ideologies about the language. Guided by language socialization theory (Ochs, 1990) and Ethnic Identity (Phinney, 1989; Sellers et al., 1998), in combination with aspects of Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition (1981), this study aims to examine the benefits of using humor to reduce anxiety (affective filter), increase engagement, and make more personal and everyday connections to the use of the language. This dissertation employs qualitative methods through which interviews, classroom observations, and artifact analysis were utilized to understand students' and professors' perspectives and attitudes towards humor used in the community and in the classroom. This study also examines aspects of heritage language speakers' identity, as well as their sentiments about learning their heritage language in a college classroom. Participants were individuals in Los Angeles who had previously taken an Armenian language course (N=17) and Armenian language professors in Los Angeles (N=4). The data was thematically coded and three main categories emerged from the data: heritage language speakers' engagement with their heritage language, experiences with Armenian language courses and humor, and pedagogies of Armenian language professors. The findings of this study extend current heritage language pedagogy and humor research to an Armenian population in Los Angeles and provide empirical support on how we can bridge these two bodies of work to help maintain heritage languages in the diaspora. Student participants sought Armenian courses as a way to help them navigate their complex identities, increase their linguistic skills, and build community. Professors support and utilize the humor in the classroom as a pedagogical tool. The implications of these findings apply to heritage language pedagogy in college classrooms and heritage language maintenance in the diaspora. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]