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[–] [S] 10 points 8 months ago (8 children)

I just did a quick research on tonal languages, it's quite tricky for a beginner to grasp these subtle expressions. Imagine a life without sarcasm. Brutal. I wonder if they have their own way of conveying it.

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  • [–] 9 points 8 months ago* (2 children)

    Sarcasm can be conveyed non-verbally. Through facial expressions, gestures or situational context for example. The core concept is not bound to specific languages but to the social/cognitive ability of the communicators, I'd say. Young children have a very hard time with sarcasm, regardless of where they're born.

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  • [–] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

    Even in English, sarcasm can be delivered very dryly in a way that would be undetectable without knowing context. It doesn't need to be spoken with exaggerated tones. I do it too much.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 8 months ago

    Someone commented that his sarcasm was lost with, mostly, religious folks in Oklahoma, and I realized that yes it happened to me too plenty of times (but not in Oklahoma). So yeah, even in English it can be elusive to some people.

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