ABSTRACT
The topic of this chapter is the role of social factors in interpretation of ironic intent. To illustrate the type of factors that are discussed, imagine you are the addressee of the following remark: “You are so punctual.” How will you interpret this remark? How will you determine what meaning the speaker intends? Your metalinguistic knowledge may indicate that although most remarks of this type are intended literally, some are intended ironically. In determining whether this remark is intended literally or ironically you may attend to clues in the situation in which the remark occurred: If you just arrived 20 min late for an important meeting, then the speaker likely has a negative attitude about your punctuality. Incongruity between the negative tone of the situation and the positive tone of the statement is a reliable cue to ironic intent (e.g., Colston & O’Brien, 2000a; Gerrig & Goldvarg, 2000; Katz & Lee, 1993; Katz & Pexman, 1997). Perhaps earlier in the day you made a positive claim to the speaker about your punctuality (e.g., “Don’t worry, I’m really punctual. I’ll make the meeting on time”). The fact that the speaker’s remark echoed your claim could also be a cue to ironic intent (e.g., Colston, 2000; Gibbs, 1986; Jorgensen, Miller, & Sperber, 1984; Kreuz & Glucksberg, 1989; Kumon-Nakamura, Glucksberg, & Brown, 1995). Even if this claim had not been made, how ever, the fact that the remark echoes an implicit norm or social convention (that people should be punctual) could cue ironic intent. Another cue could be the speaker’s use of the word so in the remark. The exaggeration implied by this word may be another hallmark of verbal irony (Colston & O’Brien, 2000a; Kreuz, 1996). Certainly, tone of voice can also signal irony, but ironic intent can be detected without tone of voice information (Kreuz & Roberts, 1995). In addition to these verbal cues, nonverbal cues like gesture and facial expression indicate irony. Much of the psychological research on verbal irony has focused on identifying these verbal and nonverbal cues to ironic intent. Less research has addressed the social cues that may be relevant. It seems likely that characteristics of the speaker would be considered: Is this someone who often speaks ironically? Does the speaker like the listener? It also seems possible that characteristics of listeners could influence their interpretation: Are some people (perhaps because they frequently speak ironically themselves) more prone to an ironic interpretation? I first summarize research on these issues, then consider how current theories of irony would (or would not) predict a role for social factors, and finally suggest ways in which these social factors might be relevant for interpreting other forms of figurative language.
