The role of verbal irony in conflict talk among relatives and friends in an Argentinian community

This article shows the role of verbal irony in conflict talk among relatives and friends. Excerpts from ten naturally occurring multiparty conversations among relatives and friends were analyzed. The analysis shows that the introduction of verbal irony in the conversation by one of the participants can: (1) end the conflict between two other participants by switching the topic of the interaction; (2) extend the conflict; (3) fail to alter the trajectory of the conflict sequence because one of the participants does not acknowledge the irony; (4) defuse a dispute about an unpleasant topic for one or two of the participants; or (5) initiate a dispute among relatives and/or friends whose relationship is not a friendly one. The analysis in this article is qualitative rather than quantitative; the tendencies presented are not based on frequency.