【TED】What is verbal irony? 全球速看料

• 2023-03-25 04:52:24 来源：哔哩哔哩

Christopher Warner: What isverbal irony?

verbal 

irony

【资料图】

Great weather we're having! Awesome job! You're a tremendous athlete! 

tremendous

athlete

Compliments, right? Well, maybe. Depending on the attitude and tone of voice behind these lines, they very well may be compliments. They may also be, though, pointed and attacking lines. This slight change of attitude behind the lines reveals what we call verbal irony. 

compliment

pointed

slight

reveal

So when someone says, "Great weather we're having," it is quite possible that the person really means that if the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the wind is calm. But if the weather is horrible, the clouds are looming, and the wind is a raging tempest, and someone says, "Great weather we're having," he probably doesn't actually mean that. He probably means that the weather is horrible, but he has said the opposite. This is verbal irony when the speaker says the opposite of what he means. I know what you're thinking. Isn't this sarcasm, isn't the speaker being sarcastic? Yes. When a speaker says the opposite of what he means, that is verbal irony. When a speaker then goes the step farther to mean the opposite of what he says and seeks to be a little pointed and mean, like he's making fun of something, then you have sarcasm. 

raging 

tempest

sarcasm

sarcastic

Take the second example: "Awesome job!" Someone accomplishing his life-long dream: awesome! Someone winning a sports championship: awesome! Someone rear-endsanother car: not awesome. So when the passenger says, "Awesome job!" they probably mean the opposite witha hint of poking fun. That is verbal irony and that is sarcastic. 

accomplish

championship

rear-end

a hint of 

poke fun

"You're a talented athlete," said to an Olympian: authentic, no verbal irony present. Said to the klutzy kid tripping into English class and spilling his books and pencil case all over the room, now that is just harsh and verbally ironic because what you said is not what you meant. That is verbal irony. You have said the opposite of what you mean. Additionally, since you have the intention of mocking this poor person, you have not only been verbally ironic, but sarcastic as well. Beware, though. While all sarcasm fits the definition of verbal irony, not all verbal irony is sarcastic. Verbal irony is where what is meant is the opposite of what is said, while sarcasm adds that little punch of attitude. There are times, though, where another layer of meaning can be present without that sarcastic tone. 

authentic

klutzy 

harsh

ironic 

Alright, now go out there and find those examples of verbal irony and sarcasm. Good luck! No, seriously, I mean it, good luck. No, no, really, I truly want to wish you luck on this difficult task. Ok, ok, sincerely good luck. You can do it! No verbal irony here.

What is verbal irony?

tremendous athlete 了不起的运动员

pointed: expressing criticism in a direct and unambiguous way

championship: n. 锦标赛

authentic: Genuine and true, not fake

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