A Pragmatic Study of Sarcasm in the TV. Show Parks and Recreation

Authors

  • Saad Jassim Mohammed Department of English, College of Education for Humanities, Tikrit University
  • Prof. Dr. Abid Hmood Ali Department of English, College of Education for Humanities, Tikrit University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.10.2.P1.16

Keywords:

: السخرية ،افعال الكلام ، الكمية، النوعية، الاسلوب ، العلاقة

Abstract

This study examines the topic of sarcasm in the American television show 'Parks and Recreation.' This topic has been chosen as the primary focus since it is relevant in modern social discourse. The challenge that this study attempts to address is how to interpret sarcasm in the program using a pragmatic approach. As a result, the current study seeks appropriate answers to the following questions: (1) Which types of speech acts, according to Searle (1979), are used in this production? (2) Do the participants break Gricean maxims (1975) by producing sarcasm in the chosen television program? The following aims are described in order to find appropriate solutions to those questions:) 1) Recognising and understanding pragmatic tactics employed in the program, such as Searle's theory of speech acts (1979) and Grice's maxims (1975). (2) Create a long-term pragmatic model for analysing sarcasm in the chosen data. In light of the aims stated above, the following hypotheses are proposed: (1) Speech acts and Grice's maxims are pragmatic phenomena seen in the American program. (2)The purpose of this study is to determine the most often utilised type within each phenomenon in the American television program under consideration. As a result, various procedures are performed to achieve the given goals and determine the validity of these hypotheses, including the following: (1) Provide a complete literature analysis of sarcasm, including its definition by various linguists, as well as an exploration of pragmatic features and methodologies related to the usage of sarcasm. (2) Choosing a model to analyse the data in this study. (3) Choosing random situations from an American TV show as the data for the study. (4) Analysing the data under consideration using the developed model, both qualitatively and statistically, to connect the outcomes of the analysis using the mathematical equation of percentages, and (5) drawing conclusions based on the study's findings. The study confirms: (1) According to the study's findings, assertive speech acts account for 57.14 %  of all speech acts. This popularity implies that characters frequently make utterances that represent their thoughts or opinions, which serve as the foundation for sarcastic dialogue. (2) Data analysis revealed that the quality maxim is most frequently violated (31.25%). This intentional infringement implies that characters frequently say things that are not meant to be taken literally, heightening the sarcastic tone.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

جاسم س., & Abid Hmood Ali. (2026). A Pragmatic Study of Sarcasm in the TV. Show Parks and Recreation. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE STUDIES, 10(2, Part 1), 314–332. https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.10.2.P1.16