<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The main aim of the presented study was to investigate the influence of voice intonation on the comprehension of ironic utterances in 4- to 6-year-old Polish-speaking children. 83 preschool children were tested with the Irony Comprehension Task (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_plc-2016-0017_ref_006_w2aab2b8b1b1b7b1ab1ab6Aa">Banasik &amp; Bokus, 2012</xref>). In the Irony Comprehension Task, children are presented with stories in which ironic utterances were prerecorded and read by professional speakers using an ironic intonation. Half of the subjects performed the regular Irony Comprehension Task while the other half were given a modified version of the Irony Comprehension Task (ironic content was uttered using a non-ironic intonation). Results indicate that children from the ironic intonation group scored higher on the Irony Comprehension Task than children who heard ironic statements uttered using a neutral voice. Ironic voice intonation appeared to be a helpful cue to irony comprehension.</p></abstract>

The main aim of the presented study was to investigate the influence of voice intonation on the comprehension of ironic utterances in 4- to 6-year-old Polish-speaking children. 83 preschool children were tested with the Irony Comprehension Task (Banasik & Bokus, 2012). In the Irony Comprehension Task, children are presented with stories in which ironic utterances were prerecorded and read by professional speakers using an ironic intonation. Half of the subjects performed the regular Irony Comprehension Task while the other half were given a modified version of the Irony Comprehension Task (ironic content was uttered using a non-ironic intonation). Results indicate that children from the ironic intonation group scored higher on the Irony Comprehension Task than children who heard ironic statements uttered using a neutral voice. Ironic voice intonation appeared to be a helpful cue to irony comprehension.

Influence of Voice Intonation on Understanding Irony by Polish-Speaking Preschool Children

Psychology of Language and Communication

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The main aim of the presented study was to investigate the influence of voice intonation on the comprehension of ironic utterances in 4- to 6-year-old...

Influence of Voice Intonation on Understanding Irony by Polish-Speaking Preschool Children

Published Online: Feb 23, 2017

Page range: 278 - 291

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/plc-2016-0017

Keywords
intonation, irony, non-literal language

© 2016 Maria Katarzyna Zajączkowska, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Influence of Voice Intonation on Understanding Irony by Polish-Speaking Preschool Children

Published Online: Feb 23, 2017

Page range: 278 - 291

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/plc-2016-0017

Keywordsintonation, irony, non-literal language

© 2016 Maria Katarzyna Zajączkowska, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
intonation, irony, non-literal language