The relationship between irony and sarcasm is a matter of active discussion in the linguistic society. These forms of literary expressions have much in common, making it challenging to define and differentiate them accurately. In addition, scientists argue about the types of behavior that should be identified as ironic and sarcastic. This paper provides a comparison between irony and sarcasm to identify important similarities and differences between them. Although there is a dispute regarding the relationship between the two tropes, they significantly differ as sarcasm intends to make a critical expression.
The terms and characteristics of irony and sarcasm are close and similar, and some scientists even define sarcasm as a form of irony. According to the recent studies, the corresponding discussion lack “consensus on whether irony and sarcasm are essentially the same thing or if they differ significantly” (as cited in Taylor, 2017, p. 209). The primary similarity between these tropes is that they are based on the principle of figurative word usage in an allegorical form, hiding a genuine meaning opposite to the positive context (Mavlonova, 2020). The specificity of sarcasm is associated with its intent to send a critical message, meaning that irony can be sarcastic and non-sarcastic in particular cases (Filik et al., 2019). In other words, sarcasm is a form of irony that not only ironizes the situation but also provides a critical estimate of it figuratively.
Overall, sarcasm is different from irony because its purpose is to send a figurative critical message ironically, whereas irony itself is a broader term with more implementations. Scientists nowadays continue to argue on the topic of the relationship between the tropes, though some similarities and differences are identified clearly. In many respects, sarcasm can be considered a deeper form of irony with a more direct, critical meaning.
References
Filik, R., Ţurcan, A., Ralph-Nearman, C., & Pitiot, A. (2019). What is the difference between irony and sarcasm? An fMRI study. Cortex, 115, 112-122.
Mavlonova, U. K. (2020). Similarities and Differences between types of Comic. International Journal on Integrated Education, 3(9), 105-107.
Taylor, C. (2017). The relationship between irony and sarcasm: Insights from a first-order metalanguage investigation. Journal of Politeness Research, 13(2), 209-241.