IRONY IN BRITISH NEWSPAPERS OF VARIOUS TYPES

Zanda MauriaDaugavpils, 2014

The aim:

to study the use of irony in British broadsheet and tabloid newspaper articles.

THE RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHESISResearch question: In which type of newspapers (broadsheet or tabloid) is irony exploited more frequently, how and for what purpose is it created and used?

Research hypothesis: Since broadsheet newspapers are of more serious character, irony is more characteristic of tabloid newspaper articles, it is most often created by means of contextual markers and it functions to reinforce the meaning of an utterance.

IRONYA trope, the trope of tropes, and not a trope at all. It is a plain inversion and a complex mode of consciousness, immersed engagement and superior distance, an inevitable function of language and a cruel and unusual use. It is purely rhetorical and deeply structural, (auto)poiesis and (auto) annihilation, a duty and an indulgence. It is dialectic, an entrapped oscillation, an endless interruption, a permanent becoming, political and private, transcendent and nihilistic, ethical, unethical and a-ethical. It is sarcasm, wit, scepticism and enthusiasm, evokes sympathy and hostility, empathy and incomprehension, and is a divine and wholly human mode of creation.Long Derrida and a Theory of Irony: Parabasis and Parataxis (2010: 11)

TYPES OF IRONYverbal ironysituational ironydramatic/tragic irony

NEWSPAPERSDevoted to the news of the day, and some analysis and comment on this news. Reah The Language of Newspapers (2002: 2)

Print publication issued daily, weekly or at regular times that provides news, features, information of interest to the public, and advertising. Danesi Dictionary of Media (2009: 213)

Broadsheet [also called (erroneously) broadside] 1. early colonial newspaper imported from England, consisting of a single sheet; 2. full-size newspaper; 3. a newspaper that covers news in a serious, informative way.

Tabloid a small format newspaper that is roughly half the size of a standard newspaper, usually containing sensational coverage of crime, scandal, gossip, violence, or news about celebrities. Tabloids also typically include lurid photographs, cartoons and other graphic features.Danesi Dictionary of Media (2009: 49; 283)

The broadsheet newspapers: The Guardian The Telegraph The Independent

The tabloid newspapers: The Daily Mail Metro The Daily Express.

Time is running out to deal with climate change, Steven Guilbeault of Greenpeace said in 2006. Ten years ago, we thought we had a lot of time. We did? We thought we had lots of time? Hmm.

Despite everything, life keeps getting better by Daniel Hannan, December 27th, 2013 The Daily Telegraph

Wow, what a terrific intro to this article. It really is brilliant.

Oh great, an article about sarcasm I am really looking forward to readingit by Ross McGuinness, Tuesday 9 Jul 2013, Metro

CONCLUSIONS

Chart1

27

55

1118

Chart Nr. 1 Newspaper articles

Sheet1

Chart Nr. 1 Newspaper articles

Broadsheet newspaper articles which contain irony27

Tabloid newspapers which contain irony55

Articles without irony1118

4th Qtr1.2

To resize chart data range, drag lower right corner of range.

Chart1

9

21

12

20

32

27

Chart Nr. 2 Examples found in newspapers

Sheet1

Chart Nr. 2 Examples found in newspapers

Daily Telegraph (9)9

The Guardian (21)21

The Independent (12)12

Daily Express (20)20

Daily Mail (32)32

Metro (27)27

To resize chart data range, drag lower right corner of range.

Chart1

4724.6073298429

4724.6073298429

2412.5654450262

178.9005235602

2714.1361256545

73.664921466

2211.5183246073

Chart Nr. 3 Functions

%

Sheet1

Chart Nr. 3 Functions%

Complicating (47)4725

Reinforcing (47)4725

Humorous (24)2413

Echoing (17)179

Evaluation (27)2714

Oppositional (7)74

Other functions (22)2212

22

191

Chart1

29

52

23

17

16

7

15

Chart Nr. 4 Markers of irony

Sheet1

Chart Nr. 4 Markers of irony%

Syntactic markers2918

Contextual5233

Different register2314

Echoing1711

Alluding1610

Figurative speech74

Other markers151

Rhyme24

Verbal markers63

Rhetorical devices51

29

159.00100

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

*