“That’s not Ironic, that’s just Stupid!": Towards an Eclectic Account of the Discourse of Irony

Paul Simpson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

This article draws on a range of models from language studies, particularly from linguistic pragmatics, in order to elucidate patterns in the production and reception of irony in its social and cultural context. An expanded view of the concept of irony, it is suggested, allows for better modelling of the creative mechanisms which underpin it, and in doing so can open the way for a fuller understanding of humour production and reception. A consequence of this broader (five-fold) typology of irony is that it can help shed light on the cultural dynamic of irony. The article uses a range of examples from different media and the lay definitions and interpretations that ordinary (non-academic) users of the language use in the comprehension of irony. Insofar as it seeks to develop an overarching model of irony, this paper draws on a variety of textual examples from a variety of sources, ranging from corpus evidence, through a stand-up comedy routine, to political wall murals and their discursive re-conformation as humour in present-day Northern Ireland. Although the central discussion is supported by insights from other linguistic, cognitive and socio-cultural approaches, the theoretical framework which emerges, with its focus on language and communication in context, is situated squarely within contemporary linguistic pragmatics.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Pragmatics of Humour across Discourse Domains
EditorsM. Dynel
PublisherJohn Benjamins
Pages33-50
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)9789027285225
ISBN (Print)9789027256140
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Publication series

NamePragmatics & Beyond New Series

Bibliographical note

Chapter Number: 3

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