Sarcasm
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Sarcasm from Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmos), 'mockery, sarcasm' is sneering, jesting, or mocking a person, situation or thing. It is strongly associated with irony, with some definitions classifying it as a type of verbal irony intended to insult or wound[1] — stating the opposite of the intended meaning, e.g. using "that's fantastic" to mean "that's awful". It is used in a humorous manner, often harshly, and is expressed through vocal intonations such as over-emphasizing the actual statement or particular words. Use of sarcasm is sometimes viewed as an expression of concealed anger[2] or annoyance. Sarcasm can also be used situationally for e.g. "the couch is so big" when referring negatively to the fact that the couch is actually small.
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[edit] Etymology
The word comes from the late Latin word, sarcasmus, which, in turn, comes from the Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmos)[3], from σαρκάζω (sarkazō) - to tear flesh like dogs,[4] - from sarx, sark-, flesh - the root word literally means "to cut a piece of flesh (from the targeted person)." Sarcasm is proverbially described as “the lowest form of wit but the highest form of humor” (a quotation sometimes ascribed to Oscar Wilde, but untraceable).
[edit] Sarcasm in verbal communication
As the vocal intonations used to express sarcasm are subtle, the use of sarcasm to express thoughts that are not obviously ironic may lead to confusion. This is especially true where there are differences in accent or experience with the language in use.
[edit] Sarcasm in written communication
Because it is vocally oriented, sarcasm can be difficult to grasp in written form and is easily misinterpreted. To prevent this some people end sarcastic comments on the Internet with an emoticon, emphasize words with italics, bold, and/or underlining (e.g. That's just great), or surround them with a made-up markup language tag, e.g. *sarcasm*, <sarcasm> or <snicker>. Sarcasm is also achievable through written language by using capitalization to emphasize certain words. For example: “Well isn’t THAT just fantastic.”
In the UK and some other countries, writing has adopted the use of (!) (an exclamation mark in parentheses) following speech in which sarcasm or irony is perceptible via the tone of voice, a punctuation mark which is very regularly seen in subtitles.
[edit] Examples
Using the phrase "this is just great" after something bad happens.
When an unamusing joke has been made. "That's so funny I forgot to laugh!"
[edit] External Links
- Sarcasm Society - Sarcasm Tutorial
- BBC News Magazine - The rules of sarcasm
- Sydney Morning Herald - Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit
- Wiktionary - Sarcasm
[edit] References
- ^ http://home.cfl.rr.com/eghsap/apterms.html, http://london.sonoma.edu/Essays/glossary.html, http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/~dougt/terms.htm, http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/newsat/chapter12section2.rhtml, http://www.pearsoned.ca/text/flachmann4/gloss_iframe.html, http://station05.qc.ca/csrs/bouscol/anglais/book_report/glossary3.html, http://www.answers.com/topic/sarcasm
- ^ http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/counselling/pages/problems/anger.html
- ^ Entry σαρκασμός at Liddell & Scott.
- ^ Entry σαρκάζω at Liddell & Scott.
