Interpreting Irony in Pragmatics

Abstract

This study examines how irony has been interpreted across
major pragmatic frameworks. It begins with Grice’s account of conversational implicature, then considers speech act theory, relevance-theoretic approaches in cognitive pragmatics, and finally socially oriented pragmatic analyses. By comparing these frameworks, the study shows that each accounts for irony from a distinct theoretical standpoint, foregrounding different aspects of meaning, intention, inference, context, and social interaction. It argues that the diversity of pragmatic approaches does not merely reflect methodological variation, but contributes to a more
comprehensive account of irony as a complex communicative and discursive phenomenon.