Project Details
Projekt
Understanding Irony through the Theory of Common Ground (C04)
Subject Area
General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 538184825
The interpretation of ironic utterances is a process that poses challenges for standard models of common ground: ironic utterances appear either false or infelicitous if interpreted literally and they might require the listener to entertain multiple models of CG simultaneously to be able to appreciate the ironic meaning of the utterance. In Project C4, we ask how the ability to entertain alternative CGs develops in ontogeny and whether it involves co-maturation of the Theory of Mind and counterfactual reasoning. We combine an experimental approach with probabilistic modeling to formulate a cognitively-grounded theory of CG that is able to handle non-literal language.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Applicant Institution
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Project Heads
Dr. Asya Achimova; Professor Dr. Gerhard Jäger
