In-Class Activity

Context: This activity is for Japanese students that are intermediate level English learners at the university level. The students are in an English as a second language (ESL) context. The students are studying English in the United States as part of a study abroad program. The students are studying English to broaden their cultural horizons. Swear words are often used in the American culture as an emphasizer, denoting anger over basic emotions, excitement, etc. If learners understand how to swear in their target L2, then they can have the opportunity to use swearing to gain solidarity with peers. This activity is related to course content because swearing has a large cultural significance and is very dependent upon context.

Objectives: students will be able to:

Recognize situations in which swear words are appropriate

Produce sentences with swear words that have appropriate illocutionary “oomph” behind them.