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Figurative Meaning Construction in Thought and Language
Edited by Annalisa Baicchi
[Figurative Thought and Language 9] 2020
► pp. 187–208

Sources of pragmatic effects in irony and hyperbole

| University of Alberta
| Rosalind Franklin University

How persuasion is accomplished by speakers who use hyperbole and irony, in response to accusations of wrong-doing, was investigated in three experiments. Results confirmed a predicted dissociation – when accused speakers exaggerate denials (e.g., “I have never, ever stolen anything from this store”), they look relatively guilty compared to using no exaggeration (e.g., “I did not steal from this store”). But when accused speakers exaggerate ironic denials (e.g., “Oh sure, I have always, stolen everything from this store”), they are perceived as comparatively innocent relative to using no exaggeration. This dissociation is also not due to differences in hyperbolizing-toward-zero, versus hyperbolizing-toward-infinity, a difference which can affect pragmatic effects leveraged by hyperbole (Colston & Keller, 1998). The results are interpreted as demonstrating the operation of psychological figurative comprehension and influence mechanisms both in parallel to and independent from similar pragmatic mechanisms found in some theories of linguistic pragmatics (e.g., Relevance Theory).

Keywords: hyperbole, irony, persuasion, Relevance Theory, figurative language, extreme case formulation, accusation denial, positive cognitive effect, pragmatic effect, cognitive side-effect, pragmatic theory
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The relevance of hyperbole: The case of accusation denials
  • 3.Experiment 1
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Materials
    • 3.3Design and procedure
    • 3.4Results and discussion
  • 4.Experiment 2
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Materials
    • 4.3Design and procedure
    • 4.4Results and discussion
  • 5.Experiment 3
    • 5.1Participants
    • 5.2Materials
    • 5.3Design and procedure
    • 5.4Results
  • 6.General discussion
    • 6.1Non-ironic denials
    • 6.2Ironic denials
    • 6.3Relevance and pragmatic effects
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 12 August 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.9.08col
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