Seeking the sine qua non of irony in theoretical pragmatics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18349/MagyarNyelv.2019.2.145Keywords:
irony, banter, sarcasm, humour, implicature, attitudeAbstract
In this article, first, several theoretical pragmatic accounts of (verbal) irony are outlined and compared from Grice (1975, 1978) to present-day researchers. A number of examples, taken from musical anecdotes and the pragmatics literature, are discussed, including the controversial types. Then, the results of an empirical study are presented to shed light on the lay concept of irony: 100 Hungarian university students were asked to provide a definition, two examples and reasons why people use irony in communication. Based on their responses and the literature overview, it is argued that irony invariably conveys an implicit negative (sceptical, critical, dissociative, mocking, facethreatening) attitude that clashes with and overrides another, explicitly or less implicitly expressed evaluation. The ironic attitude is characterised as a continuum ranging from banter to sarcasm, with no sharp boundaries from both sides. This minimalist view of irony offers a natural explanation of the existence of humorous irony and ironic combinations of figurative language.
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