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c) Irony

I r ony is such a case of interaction between logical and contextual meanings when contextual meaning of the word becomes the opposite of its logical meaning. Thus irony is a stylistic device based on the simultaneous reali­zation of two logical meanings - dictionary and contex­tual, but these two meanings stand in opposition to each other. E.g.:

"How nice to cheat your own mother".
The dictionary meaning of the word "nice" is opposite of the contextual meaning ugly, bad". Another example:

"It must be delightful to find oneself in a foreign country without a penny in one's poc­ket".

The contextual meaning of the word "delightful" is opposite to primary dictionary meaning that is "unple­asant".

The word containing the irony is strongly marked by intonation. It has an emphatic stress and is supplied with a special melody. In a sentence like "How clever of you!" where, due to the intonation, the word "clever" conveys a sense opposite to its literal signification.

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  We must differ irony from sarcasm and wit.
  
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