When do you start ‘getting’ sarcasm and irony in speech?

In the new issue of Scientific American Mind (October/November, 2008), there is an article about how humans perceive irony and sarcasm. We know that words in speech can be ambiguous, but the ability to comprehend whether a certain comment is ironic or literal has intrigued many neurologists and psychologists.

In the essay, Psychologist Penny M. Pexman of the University of Calgary in Alberta conducted an experiment to see how children perceive irony and sarcasm in order to find out when this cognitive skill, relating to understand ironic comments, emerges in the development of language acquisition.

The result suggested that children’s sensibilities towards irony and sarcasm seem ‘hardwired’. Certainly, the research also mentioned that understanding and using irony and sarcasm require social intelligence, the ability to distinguish an ironic comment from its literal meaning, and understanding hints of facial expression, tone of voice, knowledge of the speaker’s personality and so forth.

Although the experiment provided a promising perspective in probing how early children start to develop the ability to use and comprehend ironic words, I speculate that it might not be very objective and could be very difficult to determine when exactly a child starts to grasp irony and sarcasm. As we know, a mother’s motherese can have impact on the baby when he or she is still in the womb. In addition, any input from the environment can possibly influence a child’s linguistic development, be from other people in the family or radio and TV programmes. Therefore, I think this research can only give us some understanding regarding human’s application and comprehension of irony and sarcasm. Further research and studies should be undertaken so as to give more valid evidence in the aspect whether or not “we are hardwired with a sense of irony.”

Sound of Rain

Sound of Rain

Lines of thought
Aligned
In a direction I fought
Images of humans
Withdrawn
By various of excuses
Defamation or praise
Which one you care less
Light of the sun
Colours of stars
Where can I find
A sense of self
Silver pearls twirl
On the plate above my head
Sound of rain
The melody of past
Softly kills
Step by step
No more tears
No more regret
Love is just an element
On the life’s centre stage

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

Above the firmament

Above the firmament

Is there a possibility
To cross the invisible block
Daubing variegated hues
Upon the canvas in the dark
Skipping rock
Inadvertently lulls
A stimulating mind
Above the firmament
Cosmos-ridden plane
Spreads here and beyond
Silence is not without sound
Wisdom has its own spark
On the eternal path
Perhaps one day
All shall unknot
Elusiveness
Life and death
No longer perplex

Written by JerSki BjorkSen