An approach to the argumentative function of irony

Abstract

Irony is a linguistic device generally used to show a point of view indirectly. Its use and understanding does not occur automatically, but there must be two conditions that allow it: one linked to the intellectual development of the subject, and the other, a social context of use. The result of ironic use may be derision, amusement, even pity; but in its present form, never deception. When considering the use and understanding of irony, we realize that it is a communicative phenomenon, that is to say, dialectical; on the one hand, there is an issuer of the irony and on the other, the receivers who may be the interlocutor or a spectator. This work is an approach to the analysis of the argumentative function of irony. To carry out this analysis I have applied some elements of the pragma-dialectic, both in its standard and extended versions, since irony is, from the argumentative point of view, a strategic maneuver.