The Role of Context in Interpreting English Sarcasm by Non Native Speakers The Case of EFL Master Students at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret

Abstract

The present study aims at exploring the ability of EFL master students at Tiaret Ibn Khaldoun University to grasp and understand written English sarcasm. This study seeks also to measure the extent to which context plays a significant role in enabling EFL master students to better detect sarcastic utterances. To collect data, a questionnaire was used with a group of 70 EFL master students at Ibn Khaldoun University. The results revealed that EFL master students have troubles understanding English sarcasm especially sarcastic utterances with cultural context.