LING-SEMINAR: Vladislav Zlov- The role of echo and mental states in production of ironic utterances"

The role of ‘echoed’ utterances and speakers’ attitude in production of irony

Experimental work on irony has focused primarily on comprehension studies. For example, research shows that the processing of irony is facilitated when an ‘echoed’ utterance is explicit in the context (e.g. Jorgensen et al., 1984; Mazzaggio et al., 2023; Țurcan & Filik, 2017). It is unclear, however, whether, and if so how, this translates to irony production. Moreover, existing production studies rarely test theoretical accounts directly or consider how irony is embedded in multimodal communication, despite extensive evidence that it is frequently accompanied by gestures, facial expressions, body movements, and intonation  (de Vries et al., 2021; González-Fuente et al., 2015; Hancock, 2004).

In this talk, I present results from a pilot study testing the echoic account of irony (Sperber & Wilson, 1981) in production. Ten pairs performed a task using short scenarios that systematically manipulated the presence or absence of ‘echoed’ utterances and negative attitudes. Preliminary results suggest that the combination of both factors generates irony more frequently than either factor in isolation, though their relative weight remains unclear. I will also demonstrate and discuss examples of multimodal behavior, and conclude by outlining future studies planned within the project.

LU Zoom meeting:https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/67006790336?pwd=rRaKDZBnYM3MruCGUuQCZCSJIvgzLJ.1