A Minimal Account of Irony

According to the main pragmatic theories, ironic utterances are always based on a contradiction an echo or a pretense. However, there are instances of irony that lack these elements—examples in which the speaker does not communicate the opposite, does not echo a thought/utterance, or does not pretend to say. Consequently, I argue that these theories do not explain what irony is, but how we often communicate it. Then, I defend that what ties together all instances of irony is something more basic—a minimal set of conditions. We always find a clash in irony, and the ironic speaker always expresses a negative attitude. Finally, I argue that echo, pretense, and contradiction should be understood as cues of irony.