A Dedicated Sarcasm Construction in Kashmiri as a Feature of the South Asian Linguistic Area

Abstract

This paper has two parts. In the first part (§§ 2‑3) we cover some of the resources that the Kashmiri sarcast draws on. In the second part (§§ 4‑6) we explore a particular formulaic construction that we maintain is specifically dedicated to the expression of sarcasm, not only in Kashmiri but in most languages of the Indo‑Aryan family – with the possible exception of Bangla and its neighbours. Since this construction occurs in some but not all the major Dravidian languages, it may be regarded as another feature or ‘trait’ of the South Asian Linguistic Area first adumbrated by Emeneau (1956) and further extended by Masica (1976).