Sarcasm uses wording whose intended attitude differs from its literal meaning, making simple sentiment rules unreliable. Context and tone help reveal the criticism or frustration underneath. section 6.2
A misleadingly positive review
“Great, another software update that fixes nothing.” Keyword or dictionary methods may label this positive because of “great” and “fixes,” while its sarcastic context signals frustration. “Back to the drawing board” similarly implies failure and starting over without explicit negative keywords. section 6.2
More capable models look beyond isolated words:
- Identify positive language used in negative situations and phrases that violate ordinary conversational expectations. section 6.2
- Use surrounding text and speaker-listener relationships, while recognizing that predictions remain imperfect. section 6.2
