When does irony tickle the hearer?
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Marta Dynel
Abstract
Whilst not all irony (understood as a figure of speech) coincides with humour, the two phenomena do overlap. The paramount objective of this paper is to elucidate the central factors which render irony humorous, on the strength of incongruity and superiority theories of humour, as well as several cognitive and pragmatic postulates on irony put forward outside humour studies. To meet this goal, the present paper takes as its departure point a neo-Gricean view on irony, in the light of which its four types are distinguished (propositional negation irony, ideational reversal irony, verisimilar irony, and surrealistic irony). The incongruity-resolution model, representing the hearer’s inferential process, is shown to operate in the four types of irony discerned, in accordance with the four major cognitive rules. Additionally, several distinctive features of humorous irony are addressed. Finally, the superiority theory, it is argued, can be grafted on the incongruity-resolution theory whenever sarcastic irony is involved.
Abstract
Whilst not all irony (understood as a figure of speech) coincides with humour, the two phenomena do overlap. The paramount objective of this paper is to elucidate the central factors which render irony humorous, on the strength of incongruity and superiority theories of humour, as well as several cognitive and pragmatic postulates on irony put forward outside humour studies. To meet this goal, the present paper takes as its departure point a neo-Gricean view on irony, in the light of which its four types are distinguished (propositional negation irony, ideational reversal irony, verisimilar irony, and surrealistic irony). The incongruity-resolution model, representing the hearer’s inferential process, is shown to operate in the four types of irony discerned, in accordance with the four major cognitive rules. Additionally, several distinctive features of humorous irony are addressed. Finally, the superiority theory, it is argued, can be grafted on the incongruity-resolution theory whenever sarcastic irony is involved.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- A view on humour theory vii
-
I. New humour frameworks and extensions
- From perception of contraries to humorous incongruities 3
- Okras and the metapragmatic stereotypes of humour 25
- Signals of humor 49
- Comic nescience 75
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II. New theoretical issues in humour studies
- Impoliteness as disaffiliative humour in film talk 105
- Giving voice to the studio audience 145
- Negotiating humorous intent 179
- Perspective clashing as a humour mechanism 211
- Phrasemes, parodies and the art of timing 235
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III. New theoretical approaches to established forms of humour
- Decoding encoded (im)politeness 263
- When does irony tickle the hearer? 289
- Strategies and tactics for ironic subversion 321
- Salience, accessibility, and humorous potential in the comprehension of garden path jokes 341
- Televised political satire 367
- “It’s not funny out of context!” 393
- Index 423
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- A view on humour theory vii
-
I. New humour frameworks and extensions
- From perception of contraries to humorous incongruities 3
- Okras and the metapragmatic stereotypes of humour 25
- Signals of humor 49
- Comic nescience 75
-
II. New theoretical issues in humour studies
- Impoliteness as disaffiliative humour in film talk 105
- Giving voice to the studio audience 145
- Negotiating humorous intent 179
- Perspective clashing as a humour mechanism 211
- Phrasemes, parodies and the art of timing 235
-
III. New theoretical approaches to established forms of humour
- Decoding encoded (im)politeness 263
- When does irony tickle the hearer? 289
- Strategies and tactics for ironic subversion 321
- Salience, accessibility, and humorous potential in the comprehension of garden path jokes 341
- Televised political satire 367
- “It’s not funny out of context!” 393
- Index 423
