Ironical edification

Abstract

The paper deals with ironic edification – autosemantic utterances which contain critical evaluation of human shortcomings expressed in derisive assertion of absurd, or pretentious, or malicious behavior certain people manifest. They make a specific class of proverbs, aphorisms, and miniatures of modern network discourse. They are heterogeneous and vary from profound observations of human character up to banalities used to amuse a down-home partner, from witty phrases up to acid black humour. They are very common in everyday conversations and serve to help interlocutors express their understanding of hidden manipulations they are exposed to. Structurally they may be simple and composite, the former are integral sentences expressing a certain attitude to norms of behavior, the latter are judgments which consist of two parts, in the first part a certain positive norm of behavior is expressed, and in the second part it is denied. Their integral semantic content is a frame which expresses a concessive juxtaposition of values, pragmatically they promote important assumptions about realistic evaluation of human nature, and their most relevant syntactic feature is a ludic allusion to well-known texts or events.

Keywords

• irony
• edification
• proverb
• aphorism
• network discourse