Age-related Differences in Irony Comprehension: the Impact of Parental Language Use on Preschoolers

AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN IRONY COMPREHENSION: THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL LANGUAGE USE ON PRESCHOOLERS Abstract This study builds on previous findings (Szabóné Habók 2024) to further examine the influence of parental irony use on the development of preschool children’s irony comprehension, specifically analysing age-related differences. Employing methodologies adapted from Banasik (2013) and Banasik-Jemielniak et al. (2020), the research involved a parental questionnaire assessing attitudes towards irony and an irony comprehension test conducted with the children. The children were divided into two age groups: 3–4 years and 4–5 years. Results indicate a positive correlation between mothers’ frequency of irony use and 4–5-year-old children’s irony comprehension, suggesting a developmental aspect where exposure to irony becomes more influential as children age. No significant correlation was found for children aged 3–4 years, suggesting that younger children’s irony comprehension may be less affected by parental irony use. These findings contribute to understanding how the cognitive development stages of preschool children influence their skill to understand complex language forms and their meanings, for example, ironic utterances.