Running head: INTERPRETING SARCASM

Interpreting Sarcasm
Katia Perez
California State University, Chico

INTERPRETTING SARCASM

Sarcasm can be risky in a conversation. Due to the broad interpretation of

sarcastic comments, using sarcasm in everyday language is risky because it can cause a
sort-of gap of understanding between people. Gender, age, health, location, and many
other parts of an individuals life are factors that determine ones extent of understanding
toward sarcasm. Conversations through text format can be misleading, as sarcasm is not
fully evident as if the conversation were to be held verbally. Human development and
the stage a person is in also contribute to the misunderstandings in sarcastic language.
Gender plays a role in both the way they use and interpret sarcasm. The growing struggle
of understanding sarcasm presents a growing problem in society with no presently known
solution. Although our society has adapted to non-literal remarks, sarcasm continues to
grow as a problem in language due to how broadly interpreted it is online, by varying
human development, and between genders.
Interpreting sarcasm online poses a challenge to many different people. Sarcasm
is best conveyed using tone of voice, so its no surprise that sarcasm is something that is
easy to misinterpret through a text format. Due to our societys dependence on digital
communication, a certain disconnect is present when it comes to society using sarcasm.
Not only are people using sarcasm between each other, but sharing their sarcastic
comments on social media so now the sarcasm disconnect is even greater (Rosman,
2012). With the new sarcasm disconnect presented online social media websites,
marketers are struggling to analyze these massive pools of online chatters to gauge
public opinions about products and politicians. Marketers seem to no longer have a clear
understanding of the wants/needs of their targeted audiences because of their inability to
interpret sarcasm online. Marketers are trying to find a way to develop a device that will

INTERPRETTING SARCASM

separate sarcastic comments from literal ones. Similarly, the U.S. Secret Service hopes to
find technology that will accomplish the same tasks. The agency is looking for software
to help them understand sarcastic remarks on social media (Karstens-Smith, 2014).
Since the secret service is constantly monitoring social media feeds, they have trouble
distinguishing sarcastic remarks from literal comments. The secret service takes threats
very seriously until they find this new system that will detect sarcastic comments and
save time. The struggle marketers and the secret service are having with finding
technology to interpret sarcasm presents the concept of sarcasm as illogical. Society has
adapted to using sarcasm in everyday language, which only makes sarcasm use grow
within language. This can eventually lead to a change in the way language is used and
potentially destroy meaningful conversations between people. General communication is
already difficult for those with developmental disorders, and adding sarcastic comments
only makes language more difficult to understand.
Interpreting sarcasm can be especially difficult depending on human development
pertaining to developmental disorders in people. To understand just how much of a
challenge interpreting sarcasm was for those with developmental disorders, a study was
conducted of 26 participants all with Williams syndrome and 26 participants of average
development pertaining to their age. People with Williams syndrome are often
characterized as friendly and sociable with relatively good general language abilities
(Goodbee and Porter, 2013). The participants listened to stories and were asked questions
such as what a character meant by his/her comment. Understanding sarcastic remarks
ended up posing a greater challenge to those with Williams syndrome compared to those
without developmental disorders. Another study was conducted using three participants

INTERPRETTING SARCASM

all who had Autism Spectrum Disorder with the purpose of finding out whether it was
possible for these participants to grow in their capabilities of understanding sarcasm.
Methods such as establishing rules, showing video clips, and practicing in vivo training
were all used as attempts to teach the participants to understand sarcasm. The
experiments proved successful and All 3 participants successfully demonstrated this
skill with untrained exemplars, as well as novel exemplars not contacted in any phase of
the study This study provides further evidence that behavioral teaching procedures can
be used to teach complex language and cognitive skills, including non-literal language, to
children with ASD (Clair, 2013). Although these participants proved growth in
understanding sarcasm, their limited general understanding is still not enough to remove
sarcasm as a problem in society as they would still struggle to carry on with their lives
trying to figure out the infinite amount of sarcastic comments of average developing
individuals. Even these average developed people have problem understanding sarcastic
comments due to factors of their individuality; factors as simple as gender.
Sarcasm between different genders takes part in further proving how broadly
interpreted sarcasm can be. A research study was conducted that demonstrated the
differences in use of sarcasm between genders. According to the study, men are more
likely to be sarcastic (McIlroy, 2006). Men tend to make a sarcastic comment twice as
often as a woman. Women usually tend to use sarcasm to cut other women out of a
conversation or social group. In one experiment, male and female volunteers were asked
to read passages with sarcastic statements on them and asked to determine whether they
think the statement was made by a man or woman; in most cases, both genders chose
usually chose man making it obvious that even society believes men are prone to be

INTERPRETTING SARCASM

more sarcastic. The difference between men and womens use of sarcasm is that mens
sarcastic language may be a way to show dominance. Even when texting, Men have
transplanted their conversational style to mobile phone texting short messages peppered
with sarcasm, swearing and sexual humor (Sheppard, 2005). This study ties back to the
problem of sarcasm in society as men and women lack understanding in each others use
of sarcasm. The way women tend use sarcasm increases lack of communication between
women as a gender as sarcasm is used as a tool for women to exclude others from a
conversation. Although sarcasm is used during conversations, it is evident that what it
truly does is destroy true communication within conversations.
Ultimately, Sarcasm presents itself as a growing problem in society that distorts
language and makes communication, something that should come natural to humanity, a
struggle. The only solution to solving this problem would be to not use sarcasm at all, but
sarcasm has already been adapted into language. The ability to interpret sarcasm online,
within varying human development, and between genders grows as an inevitable problem
in our society. Digital communication does not allow enough emotion to give clear cues
of when a sarcastic comment is being made or not. Not enough research has yet been
conducted to decide whether or not persons with certain developmental disorders will be
able to understand sarcastic comments. There is a persistent difference between the way
opposing sexes act, and language, involving sarcasm, is a clear cue.

INTERPRETTING SARCASM
Works Cited
Clair, M. S., Persicke, A., Ranick, M., & Tarbox J (2013, January). Teaching children
with autism to detect and respond to sarcasm. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedirect.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/science/article/pii/S17509467
12000980
Godbee, K. and Porter, M. (2013), Comprehension of sarcasm, metaphor and simile in
Williams syndrome. International Journal of Language & Communication
Disorders. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/doi/10.1111/14606984.12037/abstract;jsessionid=D0A88CCFA5C08768AA505A8E7275B362.f03t
01
Kartens-Smith, Gemma (2014, June 6). An online sarcasm detector? Yeah, right, this
ought to work; U.S. Secret Service on outlook for software that can identify tone
of social media users. Retrieved from
http://www.lexisnexis.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&c
si=8286&sr=HEADLINE(An+online+sarcasm+detector%3F+Yeah%2C+right%2
C+this+ought+to+work%3B+U.S.+Secret+Service+on+lookout+for+software+th
at+can+identify+tone+of+social+media+users)%2BAND%2BDATE%2BIS%2B
2014
McIlroy, Anne (2006, January 23). Think women are more sarcastic? Yeah, whatever!
Retreieved from
http://search.proquest.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/docview/383581635?accountid=1
0346.

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Rosman, Katherine (2012, November 5). The Strange Science of Translating Sarcasm
Online. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/docview/1125800176/fulltext/E21
FCD2F5C39482EPQ/1?accountid=10346.
Sheppard, Fergus (2005, November 15). Men keep phone texts short, sexy, and full of
swearing. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/docview/327218433?accountid=1
0346