Introduction

This volume provides a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the phenomenon of verbal irony and sarcasm and the methodological aspects of its study. The chapters employ quantitative and qualitative measures of the use of verbal irony and sarcasm in both adults and children, with methods ranging from questionnaires and comment elicitation through experimental studies to a qualitative analysis of naturalistic data. By examining the phenomena in a range of contexts, the volume also show that cultural norms of communication may affect both the use and understanding of irony in specific ways and should therefore be taken into account in research.