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Introduction

This paper aimed to highlight the use of humor & sarcasm and emoticon by the computer

mediated communication users. Humor & sarcasm and emoticons served as element of

entertainment in the discussed topic. The chosen corpus for this paper is from www.warez-

bb.org. This is where people all over the world share, discuss and view each and every aspect or

problem/info that they have. To be more specific, the corpus was from http://www.warez-

bb.org/viewtopic.php?t=847187 ; where problem regarding English being posted and solved.

Literature Review

For this study, linguistic elements that been looked at are sarcasm, humor and emoticons.

All of these elements are analyzed in the context of computer-mediated communication (CMC).

CMC can simply be divided into synchronous and asynchronous discourse.

The first study is by Alecia Wolf M.B.A., A.B.D. “Emotional Expression Online: Gender

Differences inEmoticon Use” (2000). This study examines the emotional expression via the use

of emotion icon (emoticon) to determine whether the male encoding of the online registers

silences or mutes the emotional expression of women in CMC. According to the author, there is

the unofficial dictionary of emoticons produced in order to categorize the emoticons according to

its functions in context. However, the purpose of this study is to reinforce stereotype of the

emotional female and the inexpressive male(Wolf, 2000) seems to give another result as the use

of emoticons in CMC not really determined by the gender.

Besides of the use of emoticons, the elements of sarcasm and humor also can be found in

CMC. The purpose of sarcasm in discourse may be the way of showing dissatisfaction or just for

joke; depends on the context of the conversation or discourse. The verbal use of irony language

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can be influenced by the lexical factors. The study by Roger J. Kreuz and Gina M. Caucci,

“Lexical Influences on the Perception of Sarcasm” (2007) explain on this matter. The presence

of adjectives or adverbs, interjections and use of punctuations can be the signs of sarcastic

expression (Kreuz & Caucci, 2007). It is also found that sarcastic statements are often

hyperbolic. By looking at those signs and elements, sarcastic statements or expressions can be

found in the area of CMC.

Another aspect that can be found in CMC is humor. Humor or jokes are ideational

structures that are categorized by appropriate incongruity (Oring, 2005). “Jokes and the

Discourse on Disaster” (2005) by Elliot Oring is used to further discover the used of jokes in

discourse and the effect of the messages sent in the jokes. According to the author, joking is

popularly viewed as sexual and aggressive in its intention. At some point, jokes can also be

interpreted as sarcasm. Throughout the article, the author uses the jokes made based on the

explosion of space shuttle Challenger 28 January 1986. For some reasons, the jokes made on the

incidents are accepted and widely spread and made at that time. For that matter, the real message

of the jokes whether to serve as criticism, sarcasm, or even humor towards NASA are interpreted

by the readers themselves based on their awareness of the incidents.

Finally, in this study, the aspect of linguistics; sarcasm, humor and emoticons are looked

through in the corpus of CMC, specifically online CMC.

Humor & Sarcasm

It has been long assumed that sarcasm and humor, is principally a pragmatics

phenomenon and many studies from field of linguistic had proved it. Most people use sarcastic

humor in discourse to indicate something whether in verbal or writing. Speakers will only

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employ sarcasm when they think the hearers will interpret it correctly. The more familiar two

people are with one other, the more likely it is that they will employ sarcasm (Kreuz, 1996).

When interlocutors in a story share common ground, experimental participants read sarcastic

statements more quickly, and are more certain of the sarcastic intent, than when the

interlocutors share little common ground (Kreuz and Link, 2002).

Based on online free dictionary, sarcasm means witty language used to convey insults or

ridicule someone. In sarcasm, ridicule or mockery is used harshly, often crudely and

contemptuously, for destructive purposes. It may be used in an indirect manner, and have the

form of irony, as in “What a fine musician you turned out to be!” or it may be used in the form of

a direct statement, “You couldn't play one piece correctly if you had two assistants.” People used

sarcasm with the related topics that are being discussed.

Based on corpus that had been chosen, a few elements of sarcasm seem to occur in the

discussion. Basically this corpus entitles The English Thread and was posted by the author and

people keep responding to the topic. The first finding is of sarcasm, “Appreciated. English Team

are officially in "business" (free,lol).” This is the first example of sarcasm that had been pointed

out from the corpus. As can be seen, the word business had been put in inverted comma and been

followed by “lol” (laugh out loud) which widely use among teenagers nowadays whether in

online chatting or in verbal conversation. The word shows that the author trying to be sarcastic

with the English team.

The other examples from the corpus are “Understood, boss!”. The word boss is indicating

of the author being sarcastic to the other person. He is addressing the other person by using

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“boss” to show that the person knows everything. This word is also widely use among people not

only among youngsters but also adults use this word to sarcastic others.

“Remember Google is our friend”, is also another example for sarcastic. Since Google is

everything, anything can be done trough Google, only press the word search and all the

information is there and then the author being sarcastic by saying that Google is our friend.

Another example from the corpus is “Let's not turn this into a batrachomyomachy”.

Batrachomyomachy means the battle between the frogs and mice, a Greek parody on the Iliad, of

uncertain authorship. As this forum get responses from various people, the author saying

something that not to fight with each other like these two animals.

Emoticon

Emoticon or in its unofficial name called “smiley” had been in used in the computer-

mediated communication (CMC). The use of emoticon is somehow essential for virtual

communicator to express their current feeling and mood. Emoticon also represents facial

expression, eye-contact and body language. This will allow the receiver to somehow recognize

the current “mood” of sender. Here is some basic emoticons which universally understood by

CMC users.

= smile

= sad

: O Shocked

o : -) Angelic

>: - ( Angry

: ( ) Cannot stop talking

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In the forum chosen, replies by the members of the group are packed with emoticons. In

general, emoticon used in the forum is to reinforce their gratitude for the posted topic. Here’s

some example;

“ ok people here's a job for you

Find me information about causative verbs I need it for my stiupid report

Thanks you ” - Mr. Spider monkey

The gratitude by Mr. Spider monkey here is reinforced by the emoticon at the end of his

post. However, there is other kind of emoticon which used to show the highest gratitude;

“I'm an English speaker but I've never heard the word bear used in this way before.

Could you give me a dictionary extract as an example just so that I can improve my knowledge.

“ - Saturnsid

Saturnsid used bowed down emotions to reinforced his thanks and make request. The

significance of bow-down emoticons here is to show that he really appreciate the help from other

replies. Emoticons were not only intended as sign of appreciation, but many other. It served huge

and wide range of use and complexity. For example smile emoticon is not only to show our

mood of happy, instead, it can be used a reinforcer for humor and sarcasm.

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Bibliography

Kreuz, R. J., & Caucci, G. M. (2007, April 26). portal.acm. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1611529

Oring, E. (2005, December 9). Google Scholar. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from

http://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CB8QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2

Fskeptiq.stml.net%2Fjokes%2F00218715_ap020404_02a00030.pdf&ei=DzNZTaTGHImucPT6laE

M&usg=AFQjCNEblrhsR4Gt9ObyOrgiII7LrNoR5g

Wolf, A. (2000, November 5). liebertonline. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/10949310050191809