THE PRAGMATICS OF HUMOR AND IRONY IN JOURNALISTIC DISCOURSE: A COMPARATIVE ENGLISH AND UZBEK ANALYSIS

This article investigates the pragmatic functions of humor and irony in journalistic discourse through a comparative analysis of English and Uzbek media texts. Drawing on established pragmatic theories, including Grice’s Cooperative Principle, Speech Act Theory, Relevance Theory, and contemporary research on verbal irony and humor, the study examines how humor and irony operate as communicative strategies in newspapers and online journalism. The analysis focuses on pragmatic markers, implicature, evaluative stance, and socio-cultural context. Findings indicate that while English journalistic discourse frequently employs overt irony and satire, especially in opinion columns and political commentary, Uzbek journalistic discourse tends to favor indirect humor and culturally grounded allusions. The differences are shaped by socio-political traditions, audience expectations, and media conventions. The study contributes to cross-cultural pragmatics and media linguistics by clarifying how pragmatic mechanisms function in distinct linguistic environments.