Benny
Are these phrases sarcastic to you?
The other day, @Su.Ki. brought to my attention the phrase "Thanks a lot".

So, I would like to check with native speakers of English if you considered these sarcastic,

<ol><li>Well Done</li><li>Nice Try</li><li>Surprise, Surprise</li><li>Fine</li><li>Ha Ha</li><li>Good Luck with That</li><li>Yeah, Right</li></ol>

Are they without a doubt sarcastic or it depends on the tone/facial expression?

Do you have other stuffs like this?

For me, these are things that you can't learn from classroom so your opinions are highly appreciated.

23 de jul de 2019 12:52
Comentários · 14
6
Just to clarify:

"Thanks a lot" isn't always sarcastic. While native speakers often use it to mean "Thanks for nothing" or "I wish you hadn't done that", this isn't always the case. It's perfectly possible to say "Thanks a lot" in a sincere way.

Likewise, all of the above phrases could be used either in a genuine way or in a sarcastic manner, depending on the context. Stress, intonation, tone of voice, speed of delivery (for example, lengthening a syllable or lowering the tone to show mock boredom or frustration) and facial expression (smirking, eye-rolling) all give clues as to the speaker's attitude. It's how and when we say these phrases that is important, rather than the words themselves.

NB Remember that the noun 'stuff' is uncountable: it has no plural form.

24 de julho de 2019
5
@ Miriam

How about 'Thanks very much'? That seems to be a logical midway point between 'Thank you very much' and 'Thanks'.
24 de julho de 2019
5
@Su.Ki
Ever since you wrote about „thanks a lot“, I don’t dare to use it anymore. Before I thought that it’s the perfect compromise between „thank you very much“ and „thanks“. „Thank you very much“ seems so formal to me, „thanks“ not sincere enough. I’m really in trouble now. Whenever I type „thanks“ to a friend I feel a little bit bad about it but I wouldn’t like them feeling bad or having to tell themselves that I’m a non-native because of writing „thanks a lot“. :(
24 de julho de 2019
5
It's not right to judge the phrases just by seeing them typed out. If you heard someone say it to you you'd be able to tell the inflection of their voice.
23 de julho de 2019
3
This thread seems settled but I'd like to contradict almost the entire thing: Except in the cases of "Well done" and "Yeah, right", I would say that all of them have some sense of irony or sarcasm to them. "Well done" and "Yeah, right" depend on tone of voice and context.

One major point of contention: not all of them are inherently hostile. Things can be sarcastic or ironic without actually being hostile.

<ul><li>Nice try is the perfect example. There is a way of saying things in English that communicates sincerity. Nice try can be said sarcastically, as in "Yeah you tried and it was terrible" or as in "You tried, and it didn't work, but at least you gave it your effort." The first one is semi-hostile (even to a friend one can be hostile) and the second is sincere. In both cases nice try does not indicate the attempt was successful.</li><li>Surprise, surprise is almost never said in the context of an actual surprise. But it doesn't have to be hostile. It always seems to have irony.</li><li>Fine does seem inherently hostile to me. "That's fine." is how I would say something is fine without hostility.</li><li>If you are pronouncing "ha ha" as two distinct syllables and not genuinely laughing, it is sarcastic. In text this does not apply.</li><li>"Good luck with that" is absolutely sarcastic. I have never heard someone say "Good luck with that" and mean anything other than "what you are trying to do is impossible."</li></ul>

As for "Thanks a lot" I agree that it could be non-sarcastic and non-hostile, but I deliberately avoid using it because of how common the sarcastic use is. If I am trying to be authentic I say "Thanks". If I am trying to be effusive, I say "Thank you very much". "Thank you a lot" sounds fine to me, especially with a pause: "Thank you, a lot". It's also quite common to add "I mean it" to the end of any thanking phrase, especially if one says "Thanks a lot. I mean it." which subverts the common sarcasm.
24 de julho de 2019
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