Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It

And they can even use it themselves
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 16, 2010 9:04 AM CDT
Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It
These kids probably understand your ironic remarks.   (©David Noah1)

You might have a hard time defining "irony," but children as young as four get it. Researchers for a new study observed the homes of 39 two-child families and found that all but one of the children understood at least one ironic comment their parents made, and some even used irony themselves. Hyperbole, specifically, is a form of irony 4-year-olds seemed to have no trouble with; they got better with other kinds of irony by age 6, the Telegraph reports. (More irony stories.)

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