In verbal irony, someone says something other than what they mean. It is a common part of everyday communication and is often used to soften criticism. However, understanding irony is demanding, as it requires inferring the speaker's intentions beyond the literal meaning of words. This skill develops relatively late compared to literal language comprehension. Adolescence is a key but under-researched period for the development of irony comprehension, despite rapid development in cognitive and social skills. At the same time, irony is increasingly used in written communication, such as social media, where tone-of-voice cues are missing and may hinder understanding. This project examines how irony comprehension develops from adolescence to adulthood and how it differs between spoken and written communication. The findings will help us understand language development and support equal communication opportunities for adolescents.

2026

2030