IRONY IN RUSSIAN-SPEAKING IT COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Тhe article considers the use of irony in Russian-speaking online communities devoted to the topic of information technology. As the sources of the material for this study, thematic network portals and communities for IT specialists were used, such as: the Habr portal, VKontakte groups “Typical Programmer” and “Data Science”, “Terabit: IT-Technologies” telegram channel, etc. The paper analyzes verbal and paraverbal means of creating irony, as well as the functions performed by irony in the texts. The study has revealed that the means of creating irony comprise metaphor, understatement, antiphrasis, exploitation of non-trivial lexical compatibi lity, absurdization, contrast of propositions, use of intertextual connections, innuendos, lituratives and erratives. Irony performs phatic function, persuasive function, the function of expression of the author’s attitude and the function of creating emotional closeness with the addressee. It is concluded that ironic tonality is rather typical for Russian-language texts dedicated to information technologies, as well as that the functions of irony in the IT community in general coincide with the functions of irony in other professional communities. In general, irony is used to harmonize communication. This is contrary to the generally accepted representation, according to which irony in its classic form does not help to improve communication, since it implies the detachment of the speaker. This contradiction is eliminated in two ways: either by the recognition that sometimes the communicative stra tegy with signs characteristic to irony has in fact the nature of humour, or the recognition that irony can ensure the harmonization of communication, since ironic statements containing criticism of certain phenomena are meant to strengthen reader’s solidarity with the author, as they signal the coincidence of the of the author’s and the audience’s system of values and the commonality of their worldviews.