The Clog from OzThe Fun of Sarcasm!
November 20th 2006 00:47
"A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. 'In English,' he said, 'A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.' A voice from the back of the room piped up, 'Yeah, right.'” – Unknown
Smart alec. But the kid is right isn’t he? The sarcasm in “Yeah right” lends itself to being a double positive – ‘yeah’ and ‘right’ – which leads to a negative, the disagreement of the student.
I just love sarcasm! If you go to the Sarcasm Society’s website, who’s motto is aptly stated as: “We Would Love to Hear What You Think”, you can read a beginner’s guide on how to recognise irony or how to be sarcastic. The site lists many funny sarcastic quotes such as these by the great Groucho Marx:
• I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
• I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.
Sarcasm must have been around for a while as Groucho Marx was in his prime in the early 1900’s. I always thought it was more common nowadays to use sarcasm. It’s seen on current TV shows and movies and forms the basis of most jokes.
Here’s a couple from Erma Bombeck, an American newspaper columnist who wrote about suburban life:
• One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child's name and how old he or she is.
• My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.
• I do not participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of a hill.
Although people may think this last one uses sarcasm, I don’t believe it does. If Erma Bombeck truly doesn’t “participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of a hill”, then it’s not a sarcastic comment as it doesn’t involve the use of irony. Wikipedia defines sarcasm as “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 - stating the opposite of the intended meaning, e.g. using "that's amazing" to mean "that's awful".”
When looking at it this way, I realise that I use sarcasm all the time. Like when someone gives some bad news I usually reply with “That’s Great!” or when somoeone states, or asks the obvious, like “Rach, are you going to bring your lunch to uni?” I may say “No, I’m going to buy it there, and waste $6 on a load of un-nutritional crap that’s actually worth 80 cents!”
Maybe I’m just a very sarcastic person… but what’s wrong with that? Being a boring person would be WAY more fun wouldn’t it? All those sombre expressions and dull statements I’d be giving would be so exciting!
Smart alec. But the kid is right isn’t he? The sarcasm in “Yeah right” lends itself to being a double positive – ‘yeah’ and ‘right’ – which leads to a negative, the disagreement of the student.
I just love sarcasm! If you go to the Sarcasm Society’s website, who’s motto is aptly stated as: “We Would Love to Hear What You Think”, you can read a beginner’s guide on how to recognise irony or how to be sarcastic. The site lists many funny sarcastic quotes such as these by the great Groucho Marx:
• I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
• I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.
Sarcasm must have been around for a while as Groucho Marx was in his prime in the early 1900’s. I always thought it was more common nowadays to use sarcasm. It’s seen on current TV shows and movies and forms the basis of most jokes.
Here’s a couple from Erma Bombeck, an American newspaper columnist who wrote about suburban life:
• One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child's name and how old he or she is.
• My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.
• I do not participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of a hill.
Although people may think this last one uses sarcasm, I don’t believe it does. If Erma Bombeck truly doesn’t “participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of a hill”, then it’s not a sarcastic comment as it doesn’t involve the use of irony. Wikipedia defines sarcasm as “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 - stating the opposite of the intended meaning, e.g. using "that's amazing" to mean "that's awful".”
When looking at it this way, I realise that I use sarcasm all the time. Like when someone gives some bad news I usually reply with “That’s Great!” or when somoeone states, or asks the obvious, like “Rach, are you going to bring your lunch to uni?” I may say “No, I’m going to buy it there, and waste $6 on a load of un-nutritional crap that’s actually worth 80 cents!”
Maybe I’m just a very sarcastic person… but what’s wrong with that? Being a boring person would be WAY more fun wouldn’t it? All those sombre expressions and dull statements I’d be giving would be so exciting!
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Comment by Deorre
Stress Alive
Man Lessons
Thanks.
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