Sarcasm

dutopia

I would appreciate someone clearing this up for me,
I'm having a disagreement with a friend of mine about using the word "Sarcasm", which i see as a broad term for humorous wit or simply saying something but not to mean it (But not necessary trying to suggest the opposite)
For example, he said "Aly is the biggest bitch in the world", Aly is his girlfriend, and when he starting talking i realised he was being sarcastic (Obviously i knew what he was saying was not meant literally, but what he said was possibly suggesting she had done something bad) Aly had done nothing bad at all. But he says what he was saying was an "exaggeration of expression", and definatly not sarcasm.
Thanks guys..hehe.

Apreche

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm

Here is the most common example of sarcasm.

Rym: I have magic powers.
Scott: Yeah, right.

See how I said yeah, but really meant no? As long as I say it with the correct sarcastic tone of voice, it is sarcasm.

dutopia

Thanks Scott, i did look in the dictionary already but the definition could not satisfy either of us in this argument.
And please, i can detect that kind of sarcasm, i was just hoping for a third party opinion on this...

Still, that was funny.

Kiey

Sarcasm is really a tone thing, which is why it doesn't work so well on the internet. I guess one doesn't have to change their tone for it if there is some sort of grandiose gesture involved that makes it obvious its not serious.

trogdor9

The only way sarcasm can possibly work is with the tags, which ruins the effect of sarcasm anyway.

Brineshrimp

I detect sarcasm pretty quickly IRL... but for some reason, I am also the most gullible person I know. I fell for the whole dictionary trick when I was 14.

Andrew

Wait, what's sarcasm?






/sarcasm
//slashie

Sail

Sardonic FTW!

Erwin

Note of advice. Be careful while using sarcasm in foreign countries such as Peru, or most of South America. However, the capitals of most of the South American countries understand sarcasm if only because they get American TV :P

Hasbro

Scientists have actually speculated on the theory that various centers within the brain interact in a series of complex mechanisms that allow one to detect sarcasm in another's voice. Damage to the prefrontal cortex, however, seems to have the largest impact upon a patient's ability to determine sarcasm as the PFC a great bit with helping differentiate the emotional tone of the speaker from the literal meaning of their words. Which means, one can be simply rendered entirely oblivious to sarcasm. Likely a great deal of wit as well, for that matter.

Sail

Note of advice. Be careful while using sarcasm in foreign countries such as Peru, or most of South America. However, the capitals of most of the South American countries understand sarcasm if only because they get American TV :P

Yeah. It's like in Japan, where swear words are few and far between, sarcasm is the rude equivalent.