Sarcasm

1
Sarcasm

• by Don L. F. Nilsen
• and Alleen Pace Nilsen

2
The Onion

• The Onion has a sarcastic slogan. It is
• Americas Finest News Source.
• The Onion Web Site
• http//www.theonion.com

3
Three Types of Irony or Sarcasm

• More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman rhetorician
  Quintilian concluded that there three types of
  irony or sarcasm.
• These occur whenever the literal meaning of a
  statement does not fit with
• The delivery of the statement
• The character of the speaker
• Or the topic of the statement
• (Katz, Blasko Kazmerski 186)

4
Ironic Insults

• Ironic insults, where the positive literal
  meaning is subverted by the negative intended
  meaning, will be perceived to be more positive
  than direct insults, where the literal meaning is
  negative.
• (Dews 16)

5
Occupation, Gender and Social Class as
Indicators of Sarcasm

• Occupation, gender, and social class allow a
  person to predict how often a speaker will use
  sarcasm, and how often an audience will detect
  its usage.
• For example, if the speaker is a priest the
  listener would not generally assume that sarcasm
  is being used.
• But if the speaker is a comedian, the listener
  would general assume that sarcasm is being used.
• (Katz, Blasko and Kazmerski 186)

6
Gendered Sarcasm

• Stacey Ivanko, Penny Pexman, and Kara Olineck say
  that men tend to use sarcasm more frequently than
  women do.
• Also, men tend to use sarcasm in a
  self-protective manner to cover their
  insecurities.
• But women tend to use self-deprecating sarcasm to
  show their own vulnerability, and to promote
  in-group intimacy.
• (Ivanko, Pexman Olineck 266)

7
Sarcasm Web Sites

• STEPHEN COLBERT (THE COLBERT REPORT)
• http//www.colbertnation.com/home
• CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
• http//www.hbo.com/curb-your-enthusiasm/index.html
  
• THE F-WORD
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vf7-YptNv3KE
• IGOODESMAN AND JOO
• http//cartoonando.blogspot.com/2008/04/1000-posts
  .html
• JIMMY KIMMELL
• http//abc.go.com/latenight/jimmykimmel/index?pni
  ndex

8

• DAVID LETTERMAN
• http//www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/
• THE ONION (CAROL KOLB)
• http//www.theonion.com
• PACHELBELL RANT
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vJdxkVQy7QLM
• SARCMARK
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vWlwCCWGYOGg
• SOUTHPARK
• http//www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155394/?tab
  featured