Analyzing Irony in Classical Kurdish Poetry

Abstract

Poetry and prose, like all other arts, need to use tools to communicate with the audience; irony is one of these tools. Early rhetorical scholars have addressed the significance of irony and its impact on the expression of meaning as well as the indirect transfer of the message. The present study is an attempt to analyze irony and its variants in classical Kurdish poetry in a new way, and to study the reasons behind its emergence in the literary world, while focusing on its aesthetic functions. Irony is a word, phrase, or sentence which is used to express meaning indirectly. The meaning may not be so influential if expressed in an ordinary language. Irony artistically expresses the meaning and is rooted in the science of rhetoric. The results of this study indicate that the origin of irony is the common speaking of people and it is used in specific times and places to convey the message and to inform the addressee with different goals. Irony reflects the intellectual level of society. It has a particular significance for all of the speakers of a mother tongue. It is rooted in society and its survival or decline depends on the decision of the people in a society. Irony has an intrinsic impact on speakers of a language; it is sometimes encouraging and alleviating the personal pains at other times. The main purpose of irony is to magnify the meaning. Adopting a descriptive-analytical method, the present study aims to answer the following questions: What is the main reason behind using irony in literature? Why does the writer or speaker express the meaning indirectly?

Keywords

• poetic language
• rhetoric
• irony
• poetic image