The topography of sarcasm: a cognitive approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15381/lengsoc.v21i2.22759Keywords:
Sarcasm, irony, topography, cognition, victimizing effectAbstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide a difference between irony and sarcasm in the framework of cognitive pragmatics. We consider that the rise of the pragmatic turn allows us to understand the enrichment of what has been said, according to Recanati’s point of view (2003). However, the phenomenological level of what has been said has to be anchored at a deeper level: the conceptual structure. We postulate that, to the extent that sarcasm is linked to a victimizing effect, there are layers (Coulson, 2005) that allow the emergence of sarcastic interpretation. In irony, such a victimizing effect is not a necessary condition (Kreuz 2020). In order to visualize the topography of sarcasm, we develop an analysis method based on a tetraspatial model: a generic space, two input spaces and a blended space (Fauconnier & Turner, 2002). It is in the blend where the sarcastic meaning arises because there the victimizing effect of the mocking expressions is reflected.
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