Hey there!
When we speak or write we don't always say things directly
(for example, when we use irony).
Hmm... irony...
We often get the idea of irony kind of mixed up, though...
maybe because there are different types of irony.
So, when is something ironic? And why is that important to know?
Stick around, and let's talk about irony.
[IRONY]
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Hi. Welcome to Snap Language. I’m Marc Franco.
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"Irony" refers to three concepts:
situational irony, verbal irony, and dramatic irony.
Situational irony is
when you expect one thing, but the opposite happens.
This actually happened to me once:
We were having freezing rain, so of course, it was very slippery.
I was outside walking with a friend, and he said,
"Careful! Careful! It's very dangerous!
You need to know how to walk on ice, you know!"
Of course, just as he said that he slipped and fell.
What made this situation ironic is that he was the one
telling *me* to be careful... and *he* fell.
If he had simply slipped on the ice, and fallen,
it would not have been ironic.
We expect that people can slip on ice, so
there's no irony if that's what happens.
Now, imagine an 80-year-old grandmother explaining to
her 20-year old granddaughter how to use a computer.
The situation is ironic (though it's a little ageist)
because we tend to expect the younger generation
to know about computers, and not the other way around.
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Verbal irony is another type of irony.
Verbal irony is when you say one thing but you mean the opposite.
Let's say it's 40ºC outside and Dolores says,
"A bit chilly, isn't it?"
This is verbal irony because she said it's chilly
but meant exactly the opposite.
John just got his test back with an F on it.
His friend Dylan here sees his grade and says,
"Wow! You're really smart, aren't you?"
That's also verbal irony plus something else...
Of course, he meant the opposite of "smart,"
AND she's also being mean and making fun of poor John.
That's called sarcasm.
So we've seen these so far:
Situational irony--that's when what happens is opposite or
contrary to our expectation;
Verbal irony--that's when what is meant is the opposite
of what is being said;
and if verbal irony is meant to hurt or ridicule
it's called sarcasm.
Finally, there's dramatic irony.
That's a literary device used to create a sense of suspense.
Let's say you're reading a book where you know Pedro is planning
to murder Beatrice.
Beatrice doesn't know it...
And Beatrice is going to meet Pedro...
She thinks they're meeting for a romantic dinner!
You have more information than Beatrice, the character, and...
[gasp] Oh no! Beatrice!...
That's called dramatic irony.
Now, let's make sure something's really clear here.
Remember earlier I said we get irony kind of mixed up sometimes?
It's usually situational irony.
If something funny happens, it's not necessarily ironic.
It's just funny.
For a situation to be ironic, there has to be some contradiction
between what happened and what we expected.
Why is it important to know when writers use irony?
Why is important to detect irony in literary texts?
Irony is used as a device to communicate information.
When you use sarcasm, for example, you're generally communicating
the information plus some type of emotions
(generally negative emotions).
Maybe the situation annoys or frustrates the writer,
and the writer wants the reader to know not only the information
but also the emotion attached to it.
So, when you read, you want to detect this because it tells you
how the author approaches the topic.
How about dramatic irony?
When you see dramatic irony in literary texts, you should probably
pay attention to a theme in the situation.
There is something about that situation
(maybe an idea or a message)
that the author focuses on by using dramatic irony.
And, what if you shared this video to help other people
get smarter through language?
That wouldn't be ironic at all because it would be
totally expected.
Stay tuned for more videos and,
until the next time,
thanks for stopping by and watching this video.
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