Great weather we're having! Awesome job! You're a tremendous athlete! Compliments, right? Well, maybe. Depending on the attitude and tone of voice behind these lines, they very well may be compliments. They may also be, though, pointed and attacking lines. This slight change of attitude behind the lines reveals what we call verbal irony. So when someone says, "Great weather we're having," it is quite possible that the person really means that if the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the wind is calm. But if the weather is horrible, the clouds are looming, and the wind is a raging tempest, and someone says, "Great weather we're having," he probably doesn't actually mean that. He probably means that the weather is horrible, but he has said the opposite. This is verbal irony when the speaker says the opposite of what he means. I know what you're thinking. Isn't this sarcasm, isn't the speaker being sarcastic? Yes. When a speaker says the opposite of what he means, that is verbal irony. When a speaker then goes the step farther to mean the opposite of what he says and seeks to be a little pointed and mean, like he's making fun of something, then you have sarcasm. Take the second example: "Awesome job!" Someone accomplishing his life-long dream: awesome! Someone winning a sports championship: awesome! Someone rear-ends another car: not awesome. So when the passenger says, "Awesome job!" they probably mean the opposite with a hint of poking fun. That is verbal irony and that is sarcastic. "You're a talented athlete," said to an Olympian: authentic, no verbal irony present. Said to the klutzy kid tripping into English class and spilling his books and pencil case all over the room, now that is just harsh and verbally ironic because what you said is not what you meant. That is verbal irony. You have said the opposite of what you mean. Additionally, since you have the intention of mocking this poor person, you have not only been verbally ironic, but sarcastic as well. Beware, though. While all sarcasm fits the definition of verbal irony, not all verbal irony is sarcastic. Verbal irony is where what is meant is the opposite of what is said, while sarcasm adds that little punch of attitude. There are times, though, where another layer of meaning can be present without that sarcastic tone. Alright, now go out there and find those examples of verbal irony and sarcasm. Good luck! No, seriously, I mean it, good luck. No, no, really, I truly want to wish you luck on this difficult task. Ok, ok, sincerely good luck. You can do it! No verbal irony here.
Ajoyib ob-havo! Ajoyib ish! Sen zo'r sportchisan! Komplimentlar, shunday emasmi? Balki shundaydir. Ifodasiga va ohangiga qaraganda bular kompliment. Lekin aynan shu iboralar, boshqa tomondan haqoratli va zaharhanda bo'lishi mumkin. Ohangda oddiy ifodaviy o'zgarishlar bizni aynan og'zaki kinoyaga olib kelishi mumkin. Va kimdir "ajoyib ob-havo!" deganida, inson rostan ham aynan yaxshi ob-havoni nazarda tutishi mumkin. Agar quyosh charaqlab, qushlar sayrayotgan va deyarli shamol yo'q bo'lsa. Agar ob-havo yomon bo'lsa, bulutlar yaqinlasha- yotgan va bo'ron boshlanayotgan bo'lsa, va kimdir "ajoyib ob-havo!" desa, ma'lumki, u aynan teskarisini nazarda tutadi. Aslida bu inson yomon ob-havoni nazarda tutayotib, lekin teskarisini aytadi. Xa, og'zaki kinoya — qachonki inson biror narsani nazarda tutayotib, aslida teskarisini aytsa. Nimalarni o'ylaganingizni bilaman. Bu sarkazm emasmi? Bu sarkazmga xos emasmi? Xa. Gapirilayotgan gapning aksi nazarda tutilsa, bu og'zaki kinoya. Agar gapiruvchi ushbu qarama-qarshi iboraga biroz zaharhandalik qo'shsa va kimgadir tegadigan yoki uning ustidan kuladigan qilib aytsa, bu unda sarkazm hisoblanadi. Mana yana bir misol: "Ajoyib ish!" Kimdir o'z orzusiga erishdi: zo'r! Kimdir chempionatda g'olib bo'ldi: ajoyib! Kimdir mashinaga urildi: yaxshi emas. Shuning uchun, yo'lovchi "ajoyib ish!" deganida, aslida u teskarisini nazarda tutib, biroz hazil ohangini beradi. Bu og'zaki kinoya va sarkazm. "Sen qobiliyatli sportsmensan" deb olimpiadachiga aytilsa, bu to'g'ri eshitiladi, va bu yerda kinoya yo'q. Lekin aynan shu ibora darsda kitobi va qurollari har joyda yoyilib yotgan o'quvchiga aytilsa, bu qo'polroq, va shuningdek kinoyali. Chunki siz aynan nazarda tutgan gapingizni aytmadingiz. Bu og'zaki kinoya. Nazarda tutganingizning teskarisini gapirdingiz. Undan tashqari, bu orqali siz bu inson ustidan kulishga qaror qildingiz, bu nafaqat kinoya bo'ldi, balki sarkazm ham. Ammo, bitta "lekini" bor. Sarkazm doimo og'zaki kinoya birga kelishiga qaramay, og'zaki kinoya doim ham sarkastik bo'lavermaydi. Og'zaki kinoya shundayki, unda aytilgan gap nazarda tutilayotgan gapning aksi bo'lsa bo'ldi. Sarkazmda esa biroz zaharhandalik bo'ladi. Lekin ba'zida, shunday ham bo'ladiki, aytilgan gapda yana bitta ma'no bo'ladi — hech qanday sarkazmsiz. Hammasi shu. Endi esa og'zaki kinoya va sarkazmni qidirishda yo'lga otlaning. Omad! Yo'q, chindan ham, omad! Yo'q-yo'q, rosti. Men rostdan ham sizga bu qiyin ishda omad tilashni xohlayman. Chin dildan — omad! Siz uddalaysiz! Hech qanday kinoyasiz.