<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The literature suggests that irony production expands in the developmental period of adolescence. We aimed to test this hypothesis by investigating two channels: face-to-face and <italic>computer-mediated communication</italic> (CMC). Corpora were collected by asking seventh and 11th graders to freely discuss some general topics (e.g., music), either face-to-face or on online forums. Results showed that 6.2% of the 11th graders’ productions were ironic utterances, compared with just 2.5% of the seventh graders’ productions, confirming the major development of irony production in adolescence. Results also showed that adolescents produced more ironic utterances in CMC than face-to-face. The analysis suggested that irony use is a strategy for increasing in-group solidarity and compensating for the distance intrinsic to CMC, as it was mostly inclusive and well-marked on forums. The present study also confirmed previous studies showing that irony is compatible with CMC.</p></abstract>

The literature suggests that irony production expands in the developmental period of adolescence. We aimed to test this hypothesis by investigating two channels: face-to-face and computer-mediated communication (CMC). Corpora were collected by asking seventh and 11th graders to freely discuss some general topics (e.g., music), either face-to-face or on online forums. Results showed that 6.2% of the 11th graders’ productions were ironic utterances, compared with just 2.5% of the seventh graders’ productions, confirming the major development of irony production in adolescence. Results also showed that adolescents produced more ironic utterances in CMC than face-to-face. The analysis suggested that irony use is a strategy for increasing in-group solidarity and compensating for the distance intrinsic to CMC, as it was mostly inclusive and well-marked on forums. The present study also confirmed previous studies showing that irony is compatible with CMC.

Producing Irony in Adolescence: A Comparison Between Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication

University of Caen Normandy, PALM (EA 4649)

Troyes Technological University, Tech-CICO, ICD (UMR 6281)

Psychology of Language and Communication

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The literature suggests that irony production expands in the developmental period of adolescence. We aimed to test this hypothesis by investigating two...

Producing Irony in Adolescence: A Comparison Between Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication

Published Online: Feb 23, 2017

Page range: 199 - 218

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/plc-2016-0013

Keywords
irony, sarcasm, production, adolescence, computer-mediated communication, forums

© 2016 Marc Aguert et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Producing Irony in Adolescence: A Comparison Between Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication

Published Online: Feb 23, 2017

Page range: 199 - 218

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/plc-2016-0013

Keywordsirony, sarcasm, production, adolescence, computer-mediated communication, forums

© 2016 Marc Aguert et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
irony, sarcasm, production, adolescence, computer-mediated communication, forums