How Korean EFL learners understand sarcasm in L2 English

•Korean L2 learners draw upon certain features of L1 schema during the L2 sarcasm comprehension process.•Complex kinds of pragmatic assessments are required to understand the communicative purposes of sarcastic instances.•The results suggest pedagogical ideas for teaching the concept of English sarcasm to L2 learners.

This study examines how Korean adult learners of English interpret sarcasm in spoken English. Participants were asked to identify instances of sarcasm in video clips taken from the U.S. TV sitcom Friends, and then to assess the possible speaker intent and communicative goals associated with these sarcastic utterances. Finally, during individual interviews, participants reported what cues they attended to while processing sarcasm. Analysis revealed that learners drew upon certain features of L1 schema during the L2 comprehension process. Results also suggest pedagogical ideas for teaching the concept and interpretation of English sarcasm to L2 learners.