Understand and convey humour, sarcasm and ambiguity

Develop skills to recognise and interpret different forms of humour used in British Sign Language (BSL), including puns, jokes, and visual gags.
Understand how facial expressions, body language, and tempo can dramatically alter the meaning and humourous intent of a phrase.
Be aware that cultural context often plays a significant role in humour, varying greatly across different regions, social groups, and individuals.
Grasp the concept of sarcasm and the methods of its expression in BSL, acknowledging it can be subtle and relies heavily on non-verbal cues.
Identify and interpret ambiguous signs or phrases where the signer’s intention isn’t immediately clear by picking up on contextual clues.

Learn to use your face and body expressively when signing to successfully convey humour, sarcasm, and ambiguity.
Practice timing and delivery of jokes and humorous stories, understanding the importance of pacing in comedic effect.
Develop the ability to use sarcastic tone in sign language. This revolves around altering your typical signing style and emphasising certain parts of your signs.
Utilise sign modification, using size, duration and repetition to create ambiguity or to indicate sarcasm.
Remember that the use of humour, sarcasm and ambiguity requires a high level of language competency and cultural awareness.

Distinguish between various types of humour and sarcasm, and respond appropriately and promptly.
Respond to ambiguity by requesting clarification, using signs such as REPEAT, EXPLAIN or SLOWLY, or by using open-ended questions.
Able to provide feedback during a humorous or sarcastic interaction to show understanding.
Utilise role-shift techniques when retelling a joke or story to signal dialogue or changes in perspective.