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Part of
The Pragmatics of Irony and Banter
Edited by Manuel Jobert and Sandrine Sorlin
[Linguistic Approaches to Literature 30] 2018
► pp. 23–40

Chapter 2
Irony in a theory of textual meaning

| University of Huddersfield, UK
This chapter attempts to map out different types of irony, using a model of communication which encompasses a range of potential meaning including linguistic, textual, interpersonal and situational meaning. It is argued that the resulting description of potentially ironic examples can help to show where apparently different types have overlap. It also attempts to demonstrate the boundaries of irony in relation to linguistic humour more generally and to articulate some of the distinctions between irony and other forms of apparent clash such as paradox and hypocrisy. The chapter concludes that irony can occur without intention and despite, not because of, an audience, though both intentionality and addressee(s) are needed for the most recognisable forms of verbal irony.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2. Textual meaning: The background
  • 3.Typology of the bases of irony
    • 3.1Text vs. text incongruity
    • 3.2Text vs. interpersonal meaning incongruity
    • 3.3Text vs. situational incongruity
    • 3.4Interpersonal vs. interpersonal meaning incongruity
    • 3.5Interpersonal vs. situational meaning incongruity
    • 3.6Situational vs. situational incongruity
  • 4.Irony and other incongruities
  • 5. Dramatic irony
  • 6.Conclusions about irony
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 25 April 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lal.30.02jef
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Chambers, Faye
2023. Unifying the Humour Theories: A Stylistic Approach. In Humour Theory and Stylistic Enquiry, ► pp. 39 ff. DOI logo
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2019. The year’s work in stylistics 2018. Language and Literature: International Journal of Stylistics 28:4 ► pp. 354 ff. DOI logo

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