posted
I'm on my WAY to being known for that? Damn TSN, I've been known for that for at least a year now. You're seriously behind the times. You'll also be saddened to learn that "Murder She Wrote" has been cancelled. So sorry.
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Scientists Discover New Form Of Written Expression
Flareville -- Researchers for the Department of Understanding and Hermeneutics announced in a press conference today that a new form of written expression has been discovered. Previously unknown, the form, which researchers have termed "irony," is apparently widespread in written and verbal communication, though it had not been described scientifically until recently.
"We were surprised to discover that irony is among the top ten linguistic forms being used today, all over the world," said chief researcher Herman Obvious. "And it doesn't appear to be limited much by language or culture."
Irony, which one researcher described as "kind of like saying one thing and meaning another, but not quite, and kind of like exaggeration, only not really" is formally described in the study as an "incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result."
"The really interesting thing," said Obvious, "is that irony is apparently all around us, but before now no one has seemed to notice. There's nothing like this in the literature." Unlike many forms of expression, irony can apparently be transmitted without the transmitter's knowledge or consent. And its reception is even rarer.
"For instance," said Obvious, "if someone says something untrue as if it were true, your normal reaction would be to react against this untruth in ways which we find fairly easy to predict. But it turns out that these sorts of expressions are actually examples of irony, and go largely undetected."
Obvious was quick to acknowledge the contributions of other linguistic studies, including an influential study conducted several years ago by researchers at Morissette College.
"The ground work has been in place for some time now, really, but no one has ever tied it together like this before."
Future research will focus on the phenomenon of irony extension, or the 'horse bludgeoning effect,' described by Obvious as when an ironic point is extended beyond all reason.
"It just sort of goes on and on, well past the point when the irony has become apparent," said Obvious. "Come to think of it, that's kind of ironic."
Registered: Mar 1999
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
This stupidity stops. Now.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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