Look up sarcasm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Sarcasm is a form of humor that uses sharp, cutting remarks or language intended to mock, wound, or subject to contempt or ridicule, generally saying the opposite of what the statement really is.^[1]

Contents 1 Origin of the term 2 Usage 3 Sarcasm mark 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Origin of the term

It is first recorded in English in The Shepheardes Calender in 1579:

Tom piper) An Ironical [Sarcasmus], spoken in derision of these rude wits, which make more account of a rhyming Rimbaud, then of skill grounded upon learning and judgment.

—Edmund Spenser^[1]

It comes from the ancient Greek σαρκάζω (sarkazo) meaning 'to tear flesh' but the ancient Greek word for the rhetorical concept of taunting was instead χλευασμός (chleyasmόs). Sarcasm appears several times in the Old Testament, for example:

Lo, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?

—Achish, king of Gath, I Sam 21:10-15^[2]

[edit] Usage

Hostile, critical comments may be expressed in an ironic way such as saying "don't work too hard" to a lazy worker. The use of irony introduces an element of humour which may make the criticism seem more polite and less aggressive but understanding the subtlety of this usage requires second-order interpretation of the speaker's intentions. This sophisticated understanding is lacking in some people with brain damage, dementia and autism,^[3] and this perception has been located by MRI in the right parahippocampal gyrus.^[4][5]

[edit] Sarcasm mark

In certain Ethiopic languages, sarcasm is indicated with a sarcasm mark, a character that looks like a backwards question mark at the end of a sentence, similar to Alcanter de Brahm's proposed irony mark (؟). Subtitles, such as in Teletext, sometimes use an exclamation mark in brackets to mark sarcasm: (!).

It is common in online conversation to use a pseudo-HTML element: <sarcasm>Yeah, that's really going to work.</sarcasm>^[6].

A "rolling eyes" emoticon is often used as well, particularly in instant messaging.

Karl Marx uses the exclamation mark in brackets repeatedly throughout Das Kapital Volume 1. For example, in one instance, to ridicule Colonel Torrens: 'The problem is in no way simplified if extraneous matters are smuggled in, as with Colonel Torrens: "effectual demand consists in the power and inclination [!], on the part of the consumers, to give for commodities, either by immediate or circuitous barter..."'.^[7]

Temherte Slaq, is the name for a mark used in the Ethiopic language to indicate an unreal phrase, and is used to express sarcasm. ^[8]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Sardonicism

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sarcasm

• BBC News Magazine - The rules of sarcasm
• Introducing the Sarcasm mark from Slate