Ironic pragmatic effect in Russian dialogical communication

The article critically analyzes various approaches to the ironic effect of judgments developed in different linguistic disciplines. In addition to the traditional definitions of irony dating back to antiquity, as well as modern linguistic models, we describe a psychological point of view on this mechanism of influence on the interlocutor. As the analysis shows, all the discussed approaches reflect exclusively monological speech; therefore, they do not provide a holistic view of the communicative functions of ironic judgments in the everyday Russian language usage. In this regard, a dialogical perspective is proposed, emphasizing communicative effects of ironic speech, neglected by the identified models.

The article concludes that in the format of Russian-language communication, irony is used by the speaking subject not so much to avoid direct criticism, a conflict dialogical situation or psychological inconsistencies in the emotional and volitional state of the communication participants, but to play a role of a skillful pragmatic technique that encourages the interlocutor to act for the benefit of himself or others. The basic properties of irony can be attributed to the expression of rhetorical, satirical and heuristic categories. As a rhetorical device, it strengthens the meaning of a statement, as a satirical device it is used to discursively attack the interlocutor’s point of view, and its heuristics allows the interlocutor to see that the discussed state of affairs is not as difficult as it seems to be at first glance. Irony is a kind of technical device used for deeply heuristic cognition of objective reality, through which the addressee is confronted with the inconsistencies that surround him/her. Irony acquires illocutionary force through an implicitly expressed negative meaning and, consequently, through the denial of the actual state of affairs.

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