Volume 27 Number 2, February 2023 Special Issue: Semiotics in CALL An ecological perspective on the use of memes for language learning

An ecological perspective on the use of memes for language learning

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Feb. 13, 2023, 6:52 p.m.
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bitstream:
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collection:
Volume 27 Number 2, February 2023 Special Issue: Semiotics in CALL
contributor.author:
Han, Yiting Smith, Blaine E
date.accessioned:
2023-02-10T23:23:21Z
date.available:
2023-02-10T23:23:21Z
date.issued:
2023-02-13
description.abstract:
Internet memes—usually taking the form of an image, GIF, or video with text—have become an important type of semiotic tool for meaning making. Due to the fact that memes can help learners leverage semiotic modes in social contexts, they hold great potential for language education. Integrating ecological social semiotic frameworks, this comparative case study examined the semiotic affordances of using memes for language learning in the digital wilds, with a focus on self-identified highly-motivated learner-memers in a university-level student-run Chinese-English intercultural chat group. Data sources included meme artifacts, screen shots, and recordings of meme-related communicative practices as well as semi-structed interviews with each participant. Analysis suggests there were four affordances perceived and utilized by the participants, including linking learners to emergent semiotic repertoires, L2 user agency, increased motivation, and personhood development. Key to learners’ experiences was their awareness of perceived semiotic affordances and their agency to participate in meaning making for potentially meaningful learning experiences. We conclude with pedagogical implications for integrating the rich semiotic resources of memes into language classrooms.
endingpage:
175
identifier.citation:
Han, Y., & Smith, B. E. (2023). An ecological perspective on the use of memes for language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 27(2), 155–175. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73507
identifier.issn:
1094-3501
identifier.uri:
https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73507
number:
2
publicationname:
Language Learning & Technology
publisher:
University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center Center for Language & Technology
rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
rights.uri:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
site_url:
/item/10125-73507/
startingpage:
155
subject:
Social Semiotics Memes Multimodality Ecological Perspective
title:
An ecological perspective on the use of memes for language learning
type:
Article
type.dcmi:
Text
volume:
27