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7 - Sarcasm and Humour

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2018

Joana Garmendia
Joana Garmendia
Affiliation:
University of the Basque Country, Bilbao
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Summary

In this chapter, I focus on two notions that are related to irony on different levels: I explain the relationship between irony and both sarcasm and humor. Irony and sarcasm are normally considered to be two different phenomena, but we do not easily agree when determining how they should be differentiated. Most authors mention victims, aggressiveness and clarity when distinguishing between irony and sarcasm: sarcasm always has a victim, sarcasm is more aggressive than irony, and sarcasms are clearer than ironies. Then, I focus on the relationship between irony and humor. Irony is usually considered to be funny. In order to understand this link, I present two main theories of humor: the incongruity and superiority theories of humor. Humor is said to arise when an apparent incongruity is resolved, or when we have a feeling of superiority towards someone. These two ideas can explain why we often consider that irony is funny: in ironic communication, there is always an apparent incongruity (a clash between meanings) and a feeling of superiority (a expression of a negative attitude towards someone or something).
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Irony , pp. 126 - 146
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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References

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  • Sarcasm and Humour
  • Joana Garmendia, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao
  • Book: Irony
  • Online publication: 06 March 2018
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316136218.007
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  • Sarcasm and Humour
  • Joana Garmendia, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao
  • Book: Irony
  • Online publication: 06 March 2018
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316136218.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Sarcasm and Humour
  • Joana Garmendia, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao
  • Book: Irony
  • Online publication: 06 March 2018
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316136218.007
Available formats
×