Title: Sarcasm - Wikipedia
Headings: Sarcasm
Sarcasm
Contents
Etymology
Usage
In psychology
Understanding
Vocal indication
Punctuation
Identifying
Legality
See also
References
External links

Content: While Henry Watson Fowler writes: Sarcasm does not necessarily involve irony. But irony, or the use of expressions conveying different things according as they are interpreted, is so often made the vehicle of sarcasm ... The essence of sarcasm is the intention of giving pain by (ironical or other) bitter words. Sarcasm can be making uncertainty seem very certain, in fact, already done and that it was easy to determine. In psychology
Professionals in psychology and related fields have long looked upon sarcasm negatively, particularly noting that sarcasm tends to be a maladaptive coping mechanism for those with unresolved anger or frustrations. Psychologist Clifford N. Lazarus describes sarcasm as " hostility disguised as humor". While an occasional sarcastic comment may enliven a conversation, Lazarus suggests that too frequent use of sarcasm tends to "overwhelm the emotional flavor of any conversation". Understanding
Understanding the subtlety of this usage requires second-order interpretation of the speaker's or writer's intentions; different parts of the brain must work together to understand sarcasm. This sophisticated understanding can be lacking in some people with certain forms of brain damage, dementia, and sometimes autism, and this perception has been located by MRI in the right parahippocampal gyrus.