A comparative study of the expression of irony and sarcasm in north american comedies from 1950 to 2010

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze ironic and sarcastic utterances in the number of occurrence and their sociopragmatic function is sitcoms from different decades from 1950 to 2010. To carry out the analysis, seven transcripts from seven different decades with their correspondent videos were selected. Once the ironic and sarcastic utterances were identified, two matrices of analysis were utilized. For ironic utterances, the matrix of analysis proposed by Aguilera et. al (2001) and for sarcastic utterances, the matrix of analysis proposed by Negrón (2011). The results show a homogeneous occurrence of ironic utterances through decades whereas sarcasm becomes recurrent from 1970 on. This suggests that sarcasm corresponds to a contemporary phenomenon that evolved with the natural evolution of sitcoms regarding the social context of the decade. The same social context seems to limit or increase the sociopragmatic functions of these rhetorical devices. In the case of irony, its use seems to change over time while approaches and Humorous effect seem to constitute a permanent part of the genre. In the case of sarcasm, the results suggest that FTA change over time whereas the speaker attitude seems to be bounded to the characteristics of the sitcoms. Appraisal seems to constitute a feature of sarcastic utterances as indicated by its predominance in the analysis.