SARCASM IN JAPANESE

Various kinds of motivation, such as psychological and physiological, affect and determine the forms of an utterance. Often observed consistent forms of sarcastic expression are likewise configured by sarcastic motivations. These forms, though still reflecting their original sarcastic motivation, progressively become emancipated from that motivation and become increasingly rigid and arbitrary as they undergo repetition. The relationships between motivation, this process of “grammaticalization”, and arbitrary linguistic signs are observable in various forms of Japanese sarcastic expression. These forms are grouped by each specific major characteristic: 1) exaggeration 2) alienation 3) informal speech 4) stylized intonation 5) glottal stop. © 1996 John Benjamins Publishing Company.