Sarcasm detection in native English and English as a second language speakers

Sarcastic speech is ubiquitous in most languages, though understanding sarcasm is highly dependent upon cultural and social contextual factors (Campbell & Katz, Discourse Processes, 2012, 49, 459). It is therefore surprising that little research has examined the ability of nonnative speakers to understand the sarcastic cues of a second language. In the current study, native English speakers and English as a second language (ESL) speakers were tested in each of four different conditions. Three of the conditions presented isolated cues involved in the detection of sarcasm (prosody, written context, and facial expression) and asked participants to identify the emotional intent of the cue (sarcasm or sincerity). The fourth condition combined spoken context, prosody, and facial expressions into each trial and asked the participant to identify sarcasm or sincerity. Participants also indicated their experience with sarcasm through the completion of three questionnaires: Sarcasm Self-Report Scale (Ivanko et al., Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 2004, 23, 244), the Conversational Indirectness Scale (Holtgraves, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1997, 73, 624), and an Exposure to Sarcasm Scale. Results indicated that there were no differences in the ability of the ESL group to understand sarcasm based on facial expression; however, they were less accurate in identifying the sarcastic written context or prosody than the native English speakers. Taken together with the correlations on the questionnaires, findings suggest that experience plays a key role in the ability of ESL speakers to identify sarcastic cues. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).