Sarcasm versus irony

by Quillsky 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Quillsky

  Reading the Wikipedia entry doesn't make it any easier to understand the difference between sarcasm and irony, unless you can understand language operating on two levels......

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm

  "Understanding the subtlety of this usage requires second-order interpretation of the speaker's intentions. This sophisticated understanding is lacking in some people with brain damage, dementia and autism."

  OMG it's too difficult for me to understand with my brain damage.

  Okay, that last sentence was sarcastic.
• 

  agonus

  Quillsky, you lost me there.

  :P
• 

  notverylikely

  Sarcasm is when someone says something that is different from the literal meaning of the words. Sarcamsm, like all humor, *can* be dull and as blunt as a bowling ball through a windshield, but it can also be subtle and as quick and sharp as a rapier.

  Irony is when the outcome of an action is different from the intent. It can be funny, but it can also be sad or painful.
• 

  agonus

  So long as it's someone else's sadness and pain, it's ALWAYS funny!

  "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." - Mel Brooks