Abstract
Sarcasm as a linguistic strategy is a universal property of all languages which means it can be found in any language. However, this research proposes a pragmatic study of sarcasm in the English Language, American TV shows. Sarcasm could also be pragmatically defined by linking it to Grice's Maxims which means that the utterance is violating one of Grice's maxims to communicate something indirectly. This approach suggests that sarcasm is a vital notion in spoken and written language. It shows that the utterance is used to achieve another purpose that is not literal. The research paper contains five sections. Section one deals with the definition of sarcasm pragmatically. Section two shows sarcasm as a pragmatic notion or phenomenon. Section three discusses Grice's Maxims and how they are considered a model that speakers should follow for successful communication. Section four talks about the types of violations of the maxims. Section five tackles how the utterances from a TV show under investigation are violating the maxims to carry out the indirect meaning. The research closes off with the conclusion reached which is followed by the bibliography.
Highlights
1 There is a lack of studies and research papers that tackles Sarcasm as a pragmatic notion
This research aims to focus on Grice's maxims in deciding the functions of Sarcasm pragmatically in a wildly watched TV show that is known for its sarcastic lines in the world
This research shows the pragmatic nature of Sarcasm used by various characters in one of the most popular American TV shows of all time
Summary
1.1 What is Sarcasm There is no clear and exact definition of sarcasm in linguistic and pragmatic theories. It is so hard to link sarcasm with this approach since it seems that the interpretation of irony is more complicated than just the contradiction of the literal meaning (Xose Sequeiros,,1) This view of sarcasm has its own problem which is mentioned by Grice himself in his book (Grice1989:53), this approach is still the most reliable approach available to understand the sarcastic utterances that are commonly used in TV shows. There is another approach that is proposed by Grice, irony is seen as a trope, which involves changing the literal meaning of the expression in question for a figurative, non-literal interpretation. It is based on that principle, Grice proposed his four Conversational Maxims, which are:
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