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Difference between Irony and Proverb

Irony and proverb are two totally different linguistic and literary topics; with distinct definitions and functions; yet constantly many of the ironies have been mentioned in books discussing proverbs. As a matter of fact, many researchers, proverb writers and compilers of dictionaries have intermingled these two without pointing to their actual differences. This paper intends to show the differences between irony and proverb through pragmatic and concrete criteria, even though making such a distinction is indeed a hard task. Initially, after discussing this case and referring to the background of this research, the domains of irony and proverb are defined and then their features are explained. In this manner making a comparison between the two becomes easier, while afterwards the differences and similarities are elaborated. Following these discussions, irony and proverb are better conveyed through referring to other figures of speech such as brevity, tropes, rhythm, the experimental aspects, the subordination axis etc. Finally distinctions among samples of ironies similar to proverbs are clarified by the mentioned criteria. So far there has never been an independent article on this topic and therefore this paper can be practically useful within the identification of proverbs in popular literature, in addition to literary discourse and expression.