反语的幽默属性和语用功能

　　〔Abstract〕Verbalirony，asawidelyusedfigureofspeech，hasrecEivedconsiderableattentionfromcognitivepsychologistsandlinguists。Thetraditionalstudyofverbalironyfromrhetoricalandaestheticalapproacheshasbeenshiftedtocurrentcognitiveandpragmaticinvestigation。Inthispaper，focuswillbelaiduponthehumorfeatureofverbalironyfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics。First，throughthecomparisonofdifferentkindsofdefinitionsofirony，ageneralideaaboutwhatisironyisestablished。Then，thispaperexaminestheCooperativePrinciple（CPforshort）ofAmericanlinguistGricewhichputforwardsthatironyactsasaviolationofCP。Lastbutnottheleast，withthehelpofthecomparisonofthepragmaticfunctionsofEnglishironyandChineseirony，thehumorfeatureofverbalironycanbewelldisplayed。InEnglish，ironycouldbeusedtostateone’snegativeattitudetosomething。Itcouldbeusedasameanstosatirize，anapproachtopoliteness，anapproachtohumor。Chineseironycanbeclassifiedintofivetypesfromtheperspectiveofpragmaticfunctionsasfollows：ironyforcommendationandderogation，ironyforsatire，ironyforfun，ironyforaffectionandironyforemphasis。Thepragmaticfunctionsofironyinbothlanguagesaresimilar。
　　〔KeyWords〕verbalirony；pragmaticfunction；humor；EnglishandChineseironies
　　【摘要】反语作为一种普遍使用的修辞格，引起了认知心理学家和语言学家的关注。反语研究的角度从传统的修辞学和美学转向了认知心理学和语用学的探究。本文首先从定义和分类上，对反语进行认知层面上的归纳总结。其次，基于语用学角度分析了反语与合作原则和礼貌原则的联系。反语违反合作原则主要体现在对质量准则的违反上。反语作为一种间接言语，成为礼貌的一种手段。反语原则独立于礼貌原则之外，是对礼貌原则的一大补充。此外，反语是言语幽默的一种表现形式。英汉反语的语用功能大致相似，但也存在不少差异。文中对此异同进行归纳总结，从而得知，反语的幽默属性是其基本属性，在其语用功能中也得到了很好的体现。
　　【关键词】反语；语用功能；幽默；英汉反语
　　1。Introduction
　　Ironyisacommonlinguisticphenomenoninverbalcommunication。Recentyearshaveseenamushroomgrowthofdistinctlyangledtheorizationsinthisorientation，whichneverthelessexhibitstrongcomplementarity。Traditionally，ironyistreatedasafigureofspeechwhoseintendedmeaningistheoppositeofthatexpressedbythewordsuttered。Thestudyofironyinthiswaybelongstothatofrhetoric。AmericanlinguistGricetakesironyasoneofthosefiguresofspeechthatfloutstheCooperativePrinciple（CPforshort），especiallytheMaximofQuality。Ironyinterpretedunderthispragmaticmodelconveysthecontradictionofwhatisliterallysaid。LinguistsSperberandWilsontreatironyasanechoicmentionwhilelinguistCuddonstatesthatAtitssimplest，verbalironyinvolvessayingwhatonedoesn’tmean。〔1〕
　　Inthispaper，focuswillbelaiduponthehumorfeatureofverbalironyfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics。First，throughthecomparisonofdifferentkindsofdefinitionsofirony，ageneralideaaboutwhatisironyisestablished。Secondly，thispaperexaminesGriceanCooperativePrinciplewhichputforwardsthatironyactsasaviolationofCP。Thirdly，withthehelpofLeech’sideaofirony，thepragmaticfunctionofironycouldbebetterdisplayed。Finally，thelastpointisaboutthepragmaticfunctionsofbothEnglishironyandChineseirony。Inaword，ironyisonewaytoproducehumorinverbalcommunication。
　　2。Whatisirony
　　Itisdifficulttodefinethewordofironywhichcouldbeunderstoodinvariousways。Theexpansionofitsresearchareamaybethedirectcauseofthepersityofthedefinitionofirony。Thefollowingaresomedefinitionsofironyfromdictionaries。
　　2。1Dictionarydefinitionsofirony
　　1）Expressionofone’smeaningbysayingthedirectoppositeofone’sthoughtsinordertobeemphatic，amusing，sarcastic，etc。〔2〕
　　OxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglishChineseDictionary
　　2）Useofwordswhichareclearlyoppositetoone’smeaning，usuallyEItherinordertobeamusingortoshowannoyance（e。g。bysaying‘Whatcharmingbehaviour’whensomeonehasbeenrude。）〔3〕
　　LongmanDictionaryofEnglishLanguageamp；Culture（EnglishChinese）
　　3）Ironyisaliterarytechniquethatachievestheeffectofsayingonethingandmeaninganotherthroughtheuseofhumorormildsarcasm。〔4〕
　　Webster’sNewWorldEncyclopedia
　　4）Theuseofwordstoexpresssomethingotherthanandespeciallytheoppositeoftheliteralmeaning。〔5〕
　　WebsterEnglishDictionary
　　5）Ironyisafigureofspeechthatachievesemphasisbysayingtheoppositeofwhatismeant，theintendedmeaningofthewordsbeingtheoppositeoftheirusualsense。Thisformofironyiscalledverbalirony，anddiffersfromthestylisticdeviceofdramaticirony。〔6〕
　　EnglishRhetoricalOptions
　　6）DefinitionofironyfromGrolierInternationalDictionary：
　　a）。Anexpressionorutterancemarkedbysuchadeliberatecontrastbetweenapparentandintendedmeaning，forhumorousorrhetoricaleffect。
　　b）。Incongruitybetweenwhatmightbeexpectedandwhatoccurs。〔7〕
　　Theabovedefinitions，althoughexplainedbydifferentexpertsfromdifferentangles，roughlydisplaythenatureofironyfromboththeformandfunction。Amongthesedefinitions，thebasicmeaningofironycouldbefoundassayingonethingbutmeaninganother。Thebestdescriptionofirony，say，theGrolierInternationalDictionary，takesboththeformandfunctionofironyintoconsiderationandgivesusabetterpicture。However，allofthesedefinitionshavesomeshortcomings。First，noneofthemprovidesaneffectivewaytoidentifyironyfromnonirony。Second，theybasicallyregardironyasatropeorafigureofspeechwhoseliteralandconnotativemeaningsaremutuallyopposedtoeachother。Thistraditionalunderstandinghasbeenunderchallengesbymodernresearch。
　　2。2Classificationofirony
　　Theclassificationofironyispresentedindifferentwaysbythosewhoworkonit。Boothidentifiesquiteanumberoftypes：tragicirony，comicirony，stableirony，unstableirony，dramaticirony，situationalirony，verbalirony，rhetoricalironysoonandsoforth。KreuzandRobertsdistinguishfourtypesofirony：Socraticirony，dramaticirony，ironyoffateandverbalirony。〔8〕
　　Ingeneral，ironyinvolvesacontradictionbetweenappearanceandreality。Ironyresultswherethereisadifferenceinpointofviewbetweenacharacterandthenarratororreader。Traditionally，therearefourmajortypesofirony：verbal，dramatic，situationalandcomic。
　　2。2。1Verbalirony
　　Verbalironyreferstospokenwordsonly。Verbalironyoccurswhenacharactersaysonething，butsuggestsorintendstheopposite。Thecontrastisbetweenwhatthespeakersaysandwhatheactuallymeans。Forexample，inJuliusCaesar，MarkAntonyrepeatsthewordsandBrutusisanhonorablemaninthefamousFriends，Romans，Countrymenspeech。〔9〕MarkAntony’smeaning，however，isthatBrutusiscompletelydishonorablebecauseBrutus，Caesar’sbestfriend，joinedtheotherconspiratorsandplungedaknifeintoCaesar’schest。
　　Inthispaper，thediscussionislaiduponthistypeofirony，verbalirony。
　　2。2。2Dramaticirony
　　Dramaticironyinvolvesmorethanjustspokenwords。Dramaticironyoccurswhenthemeaningintendedbyacharacter’swordsoractionsisoppositeofthetruesituation。Thecontrastisbetweenwhatthecharactersays，thinks，ordoesandthetruesituation。Further，thecharactercannotseeorunderstandthecontrast，buttheaudienceorreadercan。Forexample，inOthello，dramaticironyoccurswhenOthelloreferstoIagoashonestIago。〔10〕UnknowntoOthello，IagoisavillainwhodeceiveshimintothinkingthatDesdemona（Othello’swife）hasbeenunfaithful。Forthis，Othellounjustlykillshiswife，believingthewholetimeinIago’shonesty。
　　Thedifferenceinexamplesforverbalanddramaticirony：AntonycallsBrutushonorableandknowsheisnothonorable，whileOthellocallsIagohonestanddoesnotknowofIago’sdeceit。
　　2。2。3Situationalirony
　　Situationalironydefieslogicalcauseeffectrelationshipsandjustifiableexpectations。Forexample，ifagreedymillionaireweretobuyalotteryticketandwinadditionalmillions，theironywouldbesituationalbecausesuchacircumstancecannotbeexplainedlogically。Suchacircumstanceseemsunfair。Thissenseofbeingunfairorunfortunateisatrademarkofsituationalirony。Becausepeoplecannotexplaintheunfairness，itcausesthemtoquestionwhetherornotthewordmakessense。
　　2。2。4Comicirony（orIronyoffate）
　　Someironygoesbeyondbeingunfairandismorallytragic。SuchironyisoftensoseverethatitcausespeopletoquestionGodandseetheuniverseashostile。Forexample，ifanhonest，hardworking，andgenerouspersonbuysalotteryticketandwinstenmilliondollars，onlytodieinanautocrashtwodayslater，theironywouldreachtragicproportions。Whensituationalironyreachesthisscale，itisoftencalledcomicironyorironyoffate。Suchironytypicallysuggeststhatpeoplearepawnstomaliciousforces。
　　3。IronyandtheCooperativePrinciple
　　3。1TheCooperativePrinciple
　　AmericanphilosopherH。P。Gricemadeanattempttoexplainthecourseofnaturalconversation，inwhichimpliedmessagesarefrequentlyinvolved。Hisideaisthatinmakingconversation，theparticipantsmustfirstofallbewillingtocooperate；otherwise，itwouldnotbepossibleforthemtocarryonthetalk。ThisgeneralprincipleiscalledtheCooperativePrinciple，abbreviatedasCP。Itgoesasfollows：
　　Makeyourconversationalcontributionsuchasrequiredatthestageatwhichitoccursbytheacceptedpurposeordirectionofthetalkexchangeinwhichyouareengaged。
　　Theprinciplebreaksdownintoparticularmaximsthatsummarizeparticularassumptionsaboutconversation。DifferentpragamaticistsproposedifferentnumbersofthesemaximsbutasoriginallyproposedbyGrice，thePrinciplecontainedfoursetsofmaxims：
　　Themaximsofquantity
　　a）。Makeyourcontributionasinformativeasisrequired（forthecurrentpurposesoftheexchange）
　　b）。Donotmakeyourcontributionmoreinformativethanisrequired。
　　Themaximsofquality
　　Trytomakeyourcontributiononethatistrue：
　　a）。Donotsaywhatyoubelievetobefalse。
　　b）。Donotsaythatforwhichyoulackadequateevidence。
　　Themaximofrelation
　　Berelevant。
　　Themaximsofmanner
　　Beperspicuous：
　　a）。Avoidobscurityofexpression。
　　b）。Avoidambiguity。
　　c）。Bebrief（avoidunnecessaryprolixity）。
　　d）。Beorderly。〔11〕
　　3。2IronyasviolationofCP
　　GriceclassifiesironyasanexampleofimplicatureandshowshowonecanaccountforironyasacaseoffloutingtheCooperativePrinciplebyviolatingthemaximofquality。
　　Examples：Theintendedmeaningofthespeakeristhisisalazystudent。However，heusesanoppositeoflazydiligent。Diligentishereusedtoproducesarcasm。
　　（2）A：Sorry，Mary。Icannotgiveyoualiftafterwork。Ihavetomeetafriendattheairport。
　　B：Thankyouverymuch。It’sverykindofyou。〔13〕
　　Inthisconversation，BdoesnotreallypraiseA。HeusesIt’sverykindofyou。toshowhisdissatisfactioninfact。
　　（3）A：Johnsayshetopsusallatfootball。
　　B：Ilikehischeek。〔14〕
　　WhenBsaid，Ilikehischeek。，heinfringedthequalitymaximtotellalie。ItiseasilyinferredfromthecontextthatBusestheoppositewordliketomeanhistrulydislike。
　　（4）RoseandDavidmetanelegantwomanonthestreet。Theyappreciatedherfineactionuntilshesuddenlyspittedphlegmtothefloor。Underthissituationcomesthediscourseasfollows：
　　Rose：Sheisreallylovely，isn’tshe？
　　David：Shesureis。〔15〕
　　Rosetendedtouselovelytolaughattheelegantwoman’spooractionhere。
　　Theseinstancesareviolationsofthemaximoftruthbysayingsomethingheshedoesnotreallybelieve。Intheseironyacts，indirectnessseemslikeashieldwhichmasksagenuineintentconsideredriskybythespeakers。Theironicalutterancesnotonlyconveymessagesbutalsoconcealwhatthespeakersreallybearinmind。ThespeakersviolatetheCooperativePrincipleconsciouslytoexpresstheirrealmeaninginindirectway。Ironyhelpstomaketheutterancemuchmorehumor。
　　4。IronyandthePolitenessPrinciple
　　4。1ThePolitenessPrinciple
　　LeechthinksthatGrice’sCooperativePrincipleinitselfcannotexplainwhypeopleemployindirectnesswhileconveyingwhattheymean。Inaddition，differentsocietiesmayoperatemaximsindifferentways。TheremustbesomeapparentexceptionsinactualcommunicationthatCooperativePrinciplecannotexplain。ThereforeLeechproposestosupplementGrice’sCooperativePrinciplewiththePolitenessPrinciple（PPforshort）。Thestrategiesaresummarizedbelow：
　　Tact：
　　a）。Minimizecosttoother。
　　b）。Maximizebenefittoother。
　　Generosity：
　　a）。Minimizebenefittoself。
　　b）。Maximizecosttoself。
　　Approbation：
　　a）。Minimizedispraiseofother。
　　b）。Maximizepraiseofother。
　　Modesty：
　　a）。Minimizepraiseofself。
　　b）。Maximizedispraiseofself。
　　Agreement：
　　a）。Minimizedisagreementbetweenselfandother。
　　b）。Maximizeagreementbetweenselfandother。
　　Sympathy：
　　a）。Minimizeantipathybetweenselfandother。
　　b）。Maximizesympathybetweenselfandother。〔16〕
　　Altogether，themaximsaresaidtosavetheCooperativePrinciple，theyexplainwhathappensinthecasewhenitisbreached。
　　Example：
　　Forrest：Ionlycaughtfive。
　　BoatSalesman：Acouplemoreandyoucanhaveyourselfacocktail。
　　〔17〕
　　ThisisadialogueinthemovieForrestGump。AlthoughBubbatellsForresteverythingaboutshrimping，butForreststillfindsthatshrimpingistough。Oneday，heonlycatchesfiveafterawholedayhardworking。TheboatsalesmanjustmakesajoketoForrestinordertocheerhimup。Meanwhile，healsotellsForrestafactthatForrestcatchestoolittle。ItisaninstanceofpolitenessaccordingtothePolitenessPrinciple。
　　4。2TheIronyPrinciple
　　AccordingtoLeech，ironyisasecondorderprinciplethatbuildsonorexploitsthePolitenessPrinciple。TheIronyPrinciple（IPforshort）maybestatedinageneralformasfollows：
　　Ifyoumustcauseoffence，atleastdosoinawaywhichdoesn’tovertlyconflictwiththePolitenessPrinciple，butallowsthehearertoarriveattheoffensivepointofyourremarkindirectly，bywayofimplicature。〔18〕
　　IronycanhappenifthespeakerovervaluesthePolitenessPrinciplebyblatantlybreakingamaximoftheCooperativePrincipleinordertoupholdthePolitenessPrinciple。Forexample：
　　A：Geoffhasjustborrowedyourcar。
　　B：Well，IlikeTHAT！〔19〕
　　AccordingtotheIronyPrinciple，wecaninterpretthisironicalutterancethisway：whatBsaysispolitetoGeoffandisclearlynottrue。ThereforewhatBreallymeansisimpolitetoGeoffandtrue。LeechbelievesthattheIPcanmakeaspeakerimpolitewhileseemingtobepolite。Inbeingpolite，aspeakerisoftenfacedwithaclashbetweentheCPandthePP。ThespeakerhastochoosehowfartotradeofftheCPagainstthePP。Inbeingironic，aspeakerexploitsthePPinordertouphold，ataremotelevel，theCP。
　　TheIronyPrincipleservesthepurposeofavoidingdirectcriticismthrough‘beingantisocial’，beinginsincerelypolite。ThisprincipleexplainswhysomeoftheGriceanmaximsarebreached。〔20〕
　　5。Ironyandverbalhumor
　　5。1VerbalHumor
　　Fromthesurfacemeaningofthephraseverbalhumor，wecaneasilygetitsmeaning：verbalhumoristhehumorthatisorganizedthroughverbalform。Verbalhumoristhehumorthatiscreatedorexpressedthroughlanguagewiththeassistanceofsituationalcontextoccasionally。
　　Verbalhumorcanbeproducedbykindsoffigureofspeech，say，personification，exaggeration，ironyandsoon。
　　5。2Verbalironyasanapproachtoverbalhumor
　　Verbalironyreferstospokenwordsonly。Itoccurswhenacharactersaysonething，butsuggestsorintendstheopposite。Itisanapproachtohumor。Asanexpressionofwisdom，ironyisfrequentlyusedbythegreatminds，say，writersorphilosophers。
　　Example：BernardShaw’sAnxiety
　　TheexceedinglyfascinatingandcharmingAmericanwomandancerDuncanoncegotoffacrack（说俏皮话）toBernardShaw：Sir，givenIamincombinationwith（与结合）you，andthatwehaveachildwhohasbothmylooksandyourwisdomandability。Itshouldbecrackerjack（杰出的）。Thecommonplacelooking（相貌平平），IrishwriterBernardShawcrackedback（回嘴）：Incasethechildonlyhasmylooksbutyourwisdomandability，thatwouldbecrackbrained（发疯的）。〔21〕
　　Inthisstory，BernardShaw’sAnxiety，whatBernardShawsaidisaccordingtothesentenceofthewomandancerDuncan。Sotheysharedtheunderstandingincommonandthehumorwasineffect。
　　Example：HatandHead
　　HansChristianAndersen，aDanishnurserytalewriter，wasborninahumblefamily。Heoftenworeatornhateveninthewinter。Aplayboylookeddownupon（看不起）himandsaidunconscionably（肆无忌惮）：Whattheshabby（寒酸的）thingonyourhead？Isthatstilledcalledahat？Nottobeoutdone（胜过），Andersencountered（对抗）thatchapinreply：Whattheshabbythingbeneathyourhat？Isthatstillcalledahead？〔22〕
　　HereAndersenchangedtheorderofthetwowords，hatandhead，whichhelpedhimtocrackback。Humorresulted。
　　Example：AGreatMan
　　EinstEInoncewrotealettertoCharlieChaplin。Hesaid：Yourfilm‘TheModernTime’，everybodyintheworldcanunderstand。Youwillcertainlybecomeagreatman。Einstein。
　　InhisanswertotheletterCharlieChaplinwrote：Iadmireyouevenmore。YourTheoryofRelativitynobodyintheworldunderstands，butyouhavealreadybecomeagreatman。Chaplin。〔23〕
　　Inthisstory，CharlieChaplinwasclevertolendironytoamuseandescapefrombeingoutdone。
　　Fromtheaboveexamples，theconclusioncanbeeasilyreachedasironyisfrequentlyusedtoproducehumor。Inotherwords，thehumorfeatureofironycouldbeeasilyfoundinhumorstories。
　　6。Pragmaticfunctionsofirony
　　Intheformerpartsofthispaper，wehavealreadydiscussedabouttherelationbetweenironyandCP，theassociationbetweenironyandIP，andtheconnectionbetweenironyandverbalhumor。ThoughironyseemstotakefloutingCPasitsownduty，itactsasanassistantofIPactively。Asatypeofverbalhumor，ironydevotesitselftoproducehumorinpeople’scommunications。However，whatarethepragmaticfunctionsofirony？Inthissection，thekeytothisquestionwillbepresentedmainlyfromtwomajoraspects：pragmaticfunctionsofEnglishironyandpragmaticfunctionsofChineseirony。
　　6。1PragmaticfunctionsofEnglishirony
　　PragmaticfunctionsofEnglishironycanbestatedinvariousways，similartotheclassificationofit。Inthefollowingpassage，theeffortwillbeconcentratedonthemajorfunctionsofirony。Firstly，whileusingironypeopletendtouseaffirmativetoexpresscritiqueordiscontent。Secondly，ironyisalwaysusedasameanstosatirize。Thirdly，ironyisusedasanapproachtobepolite。Lastbutnottheleast，ironyisusedasanapproachtobehumorous。
　　6。1。1Usedasanaffirmativetoexpresscritiqueordiscontent
　　InEnglish，ironyisoftenusedtostateone’snegativeattitudetosomething。Forexample：
　　（2）Youareabighelp！〔25〕
　　（3）Youaretellingstories！〔26〕Ineverydaylife，peopletendtouseironyintheirspeechthoughsometimestheymaynotbeconsciousofit。Thefollowingisanotherinstance：
　　（4）Thismorning，Iwaslateforwork；atnoon，Ihadmybikestolen；onthewayhomethisafternoon，Islippeddowninthestreet。Sotoday，Iamcertainlyenjoyingmyself。〔27〕
　　Obviously，thenarratordidnotenjoyhimselfindeedthisday。Withthestrongdiscontentoftheterribleexperience，heexpressedhisdispleasurebyusingtheoppositewordenjoy。
　　Ironyisusedtoveilfeelingsinasubtleway。Wordsofpraiseareoftenfoundwherecondemnationismeant。Belowaresomeexamples：（ThispassageimpliesthatColonelCathcartwasnotdemocraticatall：hisdemocraticspiritextendedonlytohisowngroup；allothershetreatedwithscornandhighhandedness。）
　　（2）ayounghealthychildwellnursedisatayearoldamostdelicious，nourishing，andwholesomefood，whetherstewed，roasted，bakedorboiled；andImakenodoubtthatitwillequallyserveinafricasseeoraragout。〔29〕
　　Theauthorhereproposedthemeasuretosolvetheproblemofstarvationandoverpopulationbyeatingorsellingchildrenfrompoorfamilies。However，hisrealpurposewastoripoffthehypocriticalmaskofhypocrites。Usedasameanstosatirize，ironyhelpedtodisclosetheseriousproblemofthesocietyinaboveexample。
　　6。1。3Usedasanapproachtobepolite
　　Indailyconversation，peopleareapttobepolite。Asanindirectexpression，ironyiswidelyapplied。Forexample：
　　（1）Haveadrink？
　　Allright，butnotupatthebar。Wewilltakeatable。
　　Theperfectfather。
　　（F。S。FitzgeraldBabylonRevisited）〔30〕
　　（2）Theboyhasbrokenanotherglass，saidthemother。
　　Afinething！thefatherreplied。〔31〕
　　6。1。4Usedasanapproachtobehumorous
　　InSection5。2ofthispaper，wehavelearnedthatverbalironyservesasanapproachofverbalhumor。Therefore，thehumorousfunctionofironycanbeeasilyrevealed。Belowaresomemoreexamplesforfurtheracknowledging。
　　（1）Politehorse
　　TheBachseesBallwalkinglamely，askshim：What’shappened？Ballsays：IwenttotheforestparktoridethehorseonSunday。I’msurethatitwasanunruly（难驾驭的），orthehorsedidnotallowtoride？Botharenot。Justthehorsewasverypolitewhenitrantoastockade（栅栏）atafullgallop，itstoppedallofasuddenandmademeleapoverfirst。SaysBall。〔32〕
　　（2）TakeninTwice
　　What’sthematterwithyourhands？
　　Theywerebittenbytheserpent（大蛇）。
　　Howcanithappen？
　　Iwenttotheforestthedaybeforeyesterday。Seeingthereisasnakearoundthetree，Ipickedupasticktobeat。
　　Missedthetarget。
　　No，whatistwisted（缠绕）aroundthetreewasarope，whilewhatIpickedupwasjustasnake。〔33〕
　　6。2PragmaticfunctionsofChineseirony
　　6。2。1Chineseirony
　　Chineseirony，tosomeextent，isequaltothetypeofEnglishirony，namelyverbalirony。Generallyspeaking，itcanbeclassifiedasfivetypes：ironyforcommendationandderogation（褒贬反语），ironyforsatire（讽刺反语），ironyforfun（趣味反语），ironyforaffection（亲热反语）andironyforemphasis（强调反语）。〔34〕Theclassificationisbasicallyinthelightofthepragmaticfunctionsofirony。Thedetaileddemonstrationofthemwillbecontinuedinthefollowingparts。
　　6。2。2PragmaticfunctionsofChineseirony
　　（i）Ironyforpraiseanddenigration
　　Ironyforpraiseanddenigrationistousepraiseinsteadofderogatoryterm，orviceversa。Itisanindirectutterancethatcanavoidmakingcommentsindirectway。Ithasnothingtodowithsarcasm。Forinstance：
　　凤姐道：我那里管得这些事来？见识又浅，口角又笨，心肠又直率，人家给个棒槌我就认作针，脸皮又软，搁不住人家两句好话，心里就慈悲了。
　　（I’mincapabableofrunningthings，shesigned。I’mtooignorant，bluntandtactless，alwaysgettingholdofthewrongendofthestick。AndI’msosofthearted，anyonecangetroundme。）〔35〕
　　Apparently，WangXifengdowngradedherselfasignorant，bluntandtactless。However，herpersonalityiswellknownastalent，quicktonguedandwise。Itcanbeconsideredthatironyisusedtobemodestinthissituation。
　　（ii）Ironyforsatire
　　Satireplaysaroleoffrequentfeatureofirony。Itseemslikeaspoiledchildtosomeliteraturewriters。Forexample：
　　（1）几个慈祥的老板到菜场去收集一些菜叶，用盐一浸，这就是他们难得的佳肴。
　　（Somekindheartedbossesgotothemarketandpickupsomevegetableleaves，comingbackanddippingthemintosaltwater，thenagodgivencateisreadyforthem（thewomenworkers））〔36〕
　　（2）湘云笑道：‘主雅客来勤’，自然你有些警动他的好处，他才要会你。宝玉道：罢，罢！我也不称雅，我乃俗中又俗的一个俗人，并不愿同这些人来往。
　　（‘Whenthehostiscultured，guestsfrequenthishouse’，quotedHsiangyun。Helikesseeingyou，surely，becausehecanlearnsomethingfromyou。
　　Don’tcallmecultured，beggedPaoyu。I’mthemostvulgarofthevulgarherd，andI’venodesireatalltomixwithsuchpeople。）〔37〕（iii）Ironyforfun
　　Ironyforfunreferstotheonethatmaycreatearelaxedatmosphere。Forexample：
　　这个四十条去年以来不吃香了，现在又复辟了。
　　（Thesefortyarticleswentoutofvoguelastyearbutarenowstagingacomeback。）〔38〕
　　Literally，comebackisanexpressionofcensure。Buthereitstandsforanewstartingofthefortyarticles。Byusingthisword，thespeechrunsmoothlyunderthelightair。
　　（iv）Ironyforaffection
　　Ironyissometimesusedtoexpressstrongaffection。Tomakeadvancestoothers，peoplecanuseironyasasupport。Forexample：
　　几个女人有点失望，也有些伤心，各人在心里骂着自己的狠心贼。
　　（Disappointedandratherupset，eachwomanwassecretlylayingtheblameonherheartlessbruteofahusband。）〔39〕
　　Seemingly，thesewomenwereblamingtheirhusbands。Actually，thatisnotthecase。Theylovedtheirhusbandssomuchthatironywasusedtomanifesttheirrealaffectionindirectlybytheauthor。
　　（v）Ironyforemphasis
　　Ironycanbeapprovedinthefollowingexamplethatitcanemphasizetheoppositemeaning。
　　Example：
　　我于是日日盼望新年，新年到，闰土也就到了。好容易到了年末，有一日，母亲告诉我，闰土来了，我便飞跑的去看。
　　（IlookedforwardeverydaytoNewYear，forNewYearwouldbringRuntu。Atlasttheendoftheyearcame，andonedayMothertoldmethatRuntuhadcome，andIflewtoseehim。）〔40〕
　　Here好容易canbeeasilyunderstoodasitsrealmeaning好不容易。PeoplecancatchitsmeaningasthisisancommonexpressioninChinese，say，好不高兴means好高兴，andsoon。
　　6。3ThecomparisonbetweenEnglishironyandChineseirony
　　TherearebothsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenEnglishironyandChineseirony。Thesimilaritieslieinsomeaspects。Theyarebothusedforsatirizing，amusingandproducinghumor。Itseemsthatthedifferencescountmuchmorethanthesimilarities。
　　ThedifferencesbetweenEnglishironyandChineseironymainlylieinfourpointsasfollows。Firstly，theclassificationofEnglishironydiffersfromthatofChineseirony。ThefourmajortypesofironyinEnglishareverbal，dramatic，situationalandcomic。Tosomeextent，ChineseironyisincludedinEnglishironyasverbalirony。Secondly，EnglishironydependsoncontexttoalargerextentwhileChineseironysimplycountsonwords。Besides，ironyforaffectionturnsouttoappearmorefrequentlyinChineseironythaninEnglish。Lastbutnottheleast，ironyforemphasiscanberegardedasauniquefeatureofChineseironysinceitcouldnotbefoundinEnglish。
　　7。Conclusion
　　Asstated，thepragmaticfunctionsofEnglishironyareasfollows：usedasameanstoexpresscritiqueordiscontent，usedasameanstosatirize，usedasanapproachtobepolite，usedasanapproachtobehumorous。Meanwhile，thepragmaticfunctionsofChineseironyarepresentedas：ironyforpraiseanddenigration，ironyforsatire，ironyforfun，ironyforaffectionandironyforemphasis。
　　Fromtheabovediscussioninthispaper，wecancometoaconclusionthatthemajorpragmaticfunctionsofironycouldbestatedashumorousfunctions。Inabroadsense，thehumorousfunctionsmayberegardedaslighthumorousfunctionsandheavyhumorousfunctions。Thefunctiontobehumorouscouldbeconsideredasonebreachofthehumorousfunctions。Thelighthumorousfunctionsincludethefunctiontobepolite，thefunctiontobehumorous，ironyforfun，etc。Ontheotherhand，thefunctionforsatireservesasaheavyhumorousfunction。Tosumup，themainfeatureofironyishumorfeature。
　　References〔2〕牛津高阶英汉双解词典（第四版增补本）〔Z〕。北京：商务印书馆，牛津大学出版社，1997，p793
　　〔3〕朗文当代英语大辞典（英英英汉双解）〔Z〕。北京：商务印书馆，2004，p919
　　〔4〕陈海叶。反语及其识别与理解〔硕士学位论文〕〔D〕。上海外国语大学，中国优秀博硕士学位论文全文数据库，2005，p8
　　〔5〕同〔4〕，p8〔7〕同〔4〕，p9
　　〔8〕同〔4〕，p14
　　〔9〕同〔6〕，p215〔11〕戴炜栋，何兆熊主编。新编简明英语语言学教程〔Z〕。上海：上海外语教育出版社，2002，7，p92〔13〕托娅，赵伊娜。论违反会话合作原则的修辞格及其语用功能〔J〕。中国海洋大学学报（社会科学版），2003，4，p60〔15〕姚俊。论反语理解的认知机制及其语用效力〔J〕。四川外语学院学报，2003，9，p96〔17〕TengFengwu。浅析电影《阿甘正传》对话中的幽默〔EBOL〕。http：www。dccoo。comHtmlmoviesgump0955397213。html，2005，p1
　　〔18〕同〔1〕，p10
　　〔19〕同〔18〕，p10
　　〔20〕同〔16〕，p316〔22〕同〔21〕，p104
　　〔23〕青闰，张玲，听泉编译。英语幽默笑话集锦（上）〔Z〕。青岛：青岛出版社，2005，1，p178
　　〔24〕郑国龙。英汉反语语用功能对比〔J〕。连云港师范高等专科学校学报，2003，6，p28〔26〕同〔25〕，p2
　　〔27〕同〔24〕，p28
　　〔28〕同〔6〕，p214
　　〔29〕同〔27〕，p28
　　〔30〕薛利芳。英语Irony和汉语反语的比较与翻译〔J〕。山西农业大学学报（社会科学版），2004，3，p65〔32〕同〔21〕，p170
　　〔33〕同〔32〕，p222〔35〕同〔34〕，p286
　　〔36〕同〔4〕，p15
　　〔37〕同〔34〕，p290
　　〔38〕同〔34〕，p292
　　〔39〕中国文学出版社编。中国文学：现代小说卷〔Z〕。北京：外语教学与研究出版社，中国文学出版社，1998，11，p464
　　〔40〕同〔39〕，p34