All 6 Uses of
irony
in
Do You Speak American?
- It is ironic that many Americans who had found prestige in sounding more English began dropping it when admiration for Britain was at its absolute zenith, just after the joint Allied victor;/ in World War II.
Chpt 3ironic = when what happens is very different than what might be expected; or when things are together that seem like they don't belong together
- Then came President Bush, a scion of the East Coast establishment, ironically using a folksy Texas version of talkin' country as part of his political persona and winning in states far beyond the South.
Chpt 4 *ironically = in a manner indicating that what happened was very different than what might have been expected
- Ironically, given today's linguistic anxieties, in the same editorial the Times suggested that, if a second language was needed at all, Spanish would be more useful for business.†
Chpt 5
- Baldwin had some ironic observations on how white Americans considered it hip or hep to pick up black expressions: Now, I do not know what white Americans would sound like if there had never been any black people in the United States, but they would not sound the way they sound.†
Chpt 6
- Ironically, the school was named after Martin Luther King, Jr. Annie Blair, one of the mothers, had moved north from Tennessee.†
Chpt 6
- Ironic flashes of culture were granted these girls, who never seemed to read or know anything but about clothes in the world of contempo-casual; hence the ultimate put-down, She's a full-on Monet, looks good from a distance but a mess close up.†
Chpt 7
Definitions:
-
(1)
(irony as in: situational irony) when what happens is very different than what might be expected; or when things are together that seem like they don't belong together -- especially when amusing or an entertaining coincidenceThis is sometimes referred to as "situational irony." The term is especially appropriate when actions have consequences opposite to those intended.
The expression ironic smile, generally references someone smiling at situational irony.
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they might seem. -
(2)
(irony as in: verbal irony) saying one thing, while meaning the opposite or something else -- usually as humor or sarcasm
(With this type of irony, it's not uncommon for the words to say one thing while the tone-of-voice and/or context says another.)This is sometimes referred to as "verbal irony."
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they might seem. -
(3)
(irony as in: dramatic irony) when the meaning of a situation is understood by one person, but not by another -- especially when a reader or audience knows what characters of a story do not (such as in the play, Romeo and Juliet)All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem.
-
(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less commonly, Socratic irony is where someone pretends ignorance to get another to think through a problem. This is named after the Socratic method of teaching.
Less commonly still, some also refer to romantic irony as when an author reminds the audience that the fictional words is the author's creation and will play out as the author desires.