Abstract
Student mobility across national borders has been increasing at an extraordinary pace. Correspondingly, much research has been conducted into issues concerning learners that move internationally to pursue learning in a culturally different country. To a great extent, vigorous debate and research did promote cross-cultural diversity, understanding and communication. However, few studies have looked into international Chinese students’ use of laughter in much detail, given that laughter plays a significant part in shaping or molding meaning. This article demonstrates with examples of a group of ICSs on how their use of laughter alters the meaning of utterance in speech. The findings offer insights that aim at promoting cross-cultural understanding and communication so that a much smoother and a more inclusive and successful adjustment of these learners can be facilitated.
Highlights
Student mobility across national borders has been increasing at an extraordinary pace
Few studies have looked into international Chinese students’ use of laughter in much detail, given that laughter plays a significant part in shaping or molding meaning
This article demonstrates with examples of a group of International Chinese Students (ICSs) on how their use of laughter alters the meaning of utterance in speech
Summary
Student mobility across national borders has been increasing at an extraordinary pace. 2020, Vol 6, No 2 knowledge that is required for interpretation, understanding and appreciation of laughter may not able to adjust/adapt well to their host learning context. To interpret and appreciate laughter, or further to become an in-group, an understanding or familiarity of host cultural knowledge is a necessity. The aim of this study is to offer some understanding of these students’ use of laughter (not lecturers’ use of humor with Chinese students, which is a different subject) through looking at features of stimulus of laughter. Many researchers (for instance, Adelswärd, 1989; Provine, 1996) studying laughter have found that there is no direct connection between laughter and humor; theories of humor are often referenced by various researchers when they interprete the feature of the stimulus and in relation to its cultural aspect (Cheung & Yue, 2012; Lee, 2006; Nesi, 2012). An examination of philosophical attitudes toward humor and laughter aids this analysis
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