https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/ Journal Of Linguistic and Rhetorical Studies en daily 1 Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10648.html Studying verbal violence and linguistic impoliteness, particularly in satirical discourse, constitutes a significant area of linguistic and discourse analysis research. Despite theoretical advancements in the field of impoliteness, a systematic analysis of this phenomenon in Persian satirical texts, based on Culpeper's theoretical framework, has received insufficient attention. The present study aims to fill this academic gap by examining impoliteness strategies in four prominent Persian satirical works from different historical periods including those by Obeyd Zakani (1301), Dehkhoda (2016), Pezeshkzad (1958), and Aydin Sayar Saree (2019) to identify the most and least frequently used impoliteness strategies in these works and thereby illustrate the evolutionary trend of employing these strategies in Persian satire from the past to the present. Each of these works holds an established place in Iran's cultural memory and has been extensively referenced in academic, media, and public discourses. According to Culpeper's (1996, 2005, 2011) theoretical framework of impoliteness, impoliteness is conceptualized as an interactive, context-dependent, and relative phenomenon. It is analyzed based on three components: the speaker's intention, the hearer's perception, and the socio-cultural context, through the application of six strategies: bald-on-record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, sarcasm or mock politeness, and withholding politeness. In this study, through an integrated methodology combining qualitative (discourse analysis) and quantitative (frequency analysis) approaches, the study identifies and categorizes impoliteness strategies including face-threatening acts and social norm-threatening acts across a corpus of satirical texts comprising over 663 pages. The data indicate that negative and indirect impoliteness strategies, as face-threatening acts, exhibited the highest frequency in the examined works. The least frequent instances fall within the domain of social norm-threatening acts. The predominance of negative impoliteness which targets the negative face of the audience, here referring to formal structures, power institutions, or established norms demonstrates that Persian satirical language has consistently served as a deliberate and purposeful instrument for social, political, and cultural critique across all periods. Iranian satirists have employed strategies such as disparagement, ridicule, and sarcasm to challenge power structures while avoiding direct confrontation with associated risks. This language has been utilized for exposure, protest, and subverting the symbolic order. In contrast, the strategy of "accidental or unintentional offense" demonstrates the lowest frequency, as Persian satire is fundamentally based on intentionality and awareness. The Iranian satirist engages in impoliteness deliberately to challenge power structures, rather than committing verbal violence through linguistic error or inadvertence. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10667.html This study examines how age (8 vs. 12 years), gender, and task type (visual/auditory) influence the comprehension of embodied metaphors related to sensory-motor organs (eyes, ears, hands, feet) in Persian-speaking children. Using a cross-sectional design, 160 elementary school children completed metaphor comprehension tests in both visual (image-based) and auditory (story-based) versions. Results revealed developmental differences: 8-year-olds showed superior understanding of hand-related metaphors, while 12-year-olds excelled in eye-related metaphors during visual tasks and ear-related metaphors during auditory tasks. Gender effects emerged across age groups - 8-year-old boys performed better with foot-related auditory metaphors, whereas girls surpassed boys in hand-related visual metaphors. Among 12-year-olds, girls demonstrated superior performance across multiple categories: ear-related and hand-related metaphors. The results also indicated a positive correlation between the metaphors, the task type (visual and auditory), and the sensory channel (ears and eyes) associated with the metaphor. These findings suggest that: (1) embodied metaphor comprehension shifts from haptic to distal sensory domains with age, (2) gender differences in metaphor processing emerge by age 8 and intensify by age 12, and (3) sensory-channel specialization becomes more pronounced with cognitive development. The study provides empirical evidence for designing age- and gender-appropriate linguistic materials in educational contexts. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_9574.html This study examines the use of metadiscourse markers (MDMs) in English research article abstracts by Iranian non-native and English native medical scholars. Using Hyland and Tse’s (2004) classification system, 102 abstracts-51 written by native English speakers and 51 authored by non-native Iranian speakers-published between 2008 and 2023 in prestigious ISI journals, were analyzed. Findings indicate both groups predominantly use interactive MDMs over interactional ones. No significant difference was found between groups in interactional MDM usage. However, non-native writers (NNWs) used more interactive MDMs compared to native writers (NWs). While no disparity was noted in interactional subgroups (hedges, boosters, self-mentions, attitude markers, engagement markers), a significant difference was observed in frame markers, an interactive MDM subset. No differences were noted in the use of transition markers, code glosses, evidentials, and endophoric markers. Hedges were most frequently used among interactional MDMs, followed by boosters, self-mentions, attitude markers, and engagement markers. Frame and transition markers were predominant among interactive MDMs, followed by code glosses, with evidentials and endophoric markers being the least used. These results underscore the importance of MDMs in enhancing coherence and organization in medical academic writing. However, the MDM usage between the two groups shows similarities, which may be specific to the medical field, indicating the need for tailored curricula to promote effective MDM use. Additionally, it is essential to consider cultural and educational backgrounds when designing training programs to enhance academic writing skills. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_9938.html In our tradition of literary studies, rhetoric encompasses the sciences of Rhetorical Semantics (Ma'ani), Rhetorical Expression (Bayan), and Rhetorical Figures (Badi'). Although today's Rhetorical Figures (Badi) is considered a separate knowledge and one of the tools of the textual literariness, rhetoric scholars considered it as subordinate to Rhetorical Semantics (Maani) and Rhetorical Expression (Bayan), not a dependent field. This lack of independence is associated with concepts such as subordination and ornamentation, which can be understood from the Rhetorical Figures (Badi) definition. The purpose of this article is to examine the causes and factors behind the formation of this view using a historical-linguistic approach and documentary method. The development of rhetorical sciences in Islamic civilization shows that these sciences were considered and created in order to explain the causes of the miracle of the Holy Quran. The difference in the nature of the language of revelation and its characteristics from the language of poetry and its definition played an important role in the formation of this view. In this article, it is explained using Jakobson's communication theory and formalist perspectives, and the relationship between language roles and Rhetorical Figures (Badi) functions is analyzed based on Aristotle's four reasons. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_9990.html The panegyric poems of Anvari, the distinguished poet of the 6th century AH, have long attracted the attention of scholars and literary critics for their inventive rhetorical techniques and unparalleled literary innovation. However, the frequent use of hyperbole in his praise poetry—particularly in the depiction of patrons—has remained a contentious issue, giving rise to divergent interpretations regarding its underlying purpose. Common perspectives attribute this stylistic feature to factors such as the poet’s material needs, the autocratic nature of the Seljuk court, and the intense literary competition among contemporary poets. This study adopts a critical and revisionist lens—eschewing both justification and moralization—to propose an alternative reading based on al-Farabi’s theories regarding the imaginative power of poetry and the poet’s function within courtly structures. It argues that Anvari’s use of hyperbole was not solely aimed at securing financial reward but was also strategically employed to convey ethical ideals and cultivate moral sensibilities among court figures. In this light, hyperbole in his work emerges as a mutually beneficial device: the more closely a patron approached the idealized image, the stronger and more virtuous the court became, and the greater the poet’s prestige and reward. An analysis of Anvari’s poems, based on the critical edition by Modarres Razavi, reveals a deliberate use of hyperbole, rhetorical conciseness(Qasīde-ye Moqtażab), and audience expansion aimed at constructing an idealized space wherein patrons were confronted with moral aspiration and ethical responsibility. The findings suggest that Anvari was not merely a court panegyrist, but a reflective poet who transformed the qasida into a literary vehicle serving both material gain and the ethical cultivation of the political elite. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10197.html Most lexicographers have included "Lāsakavī" as an entry in their dictionaries based on a poetic reference from Manuchehri Damghani’s Divan, defining it -with slight variations in pronunciation- as a small, melodious bird. However, recent scholars, noting its appearance in the Miʿyār al-Ashʿār, have concluded that the term must have been a technical designation for a specific type of poetry with a special meter. With access to a newly edited version of Manuchehri’s Divan, an alternative reading of the relevant verse, and two existing examples of Lāsakavī, it can now be hypothesized that: 1. The correct pronunciation was Lāsakavī (لاسَکَوی). 2. It referred to a poetic form consisting of two lines (abyāt), composed not in standard Persian (Darī) but in one of its dialects; most likely Tabarī (Mazandarani). 3. Its rhyme scheme resembled that of the rubāʿī (quatrain), and its meter was similar but not identical to the rubāʿī, as it did not strictly follow quantitative (ʿarūḍ) prosody. This study employs a historical-analytical research method. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10237.html Allusion, as one of the topics in semantic rhetoric (badi’-i ma’navi), includes various types. One such type is the allusion to Iranian elements, which attracted the attention of Persian poets and writers from the early periods of Persian literature. However, with the expansion of Islamic culture in Iran and the entrance of non-Iranian elements, the use of such allusions gradually declined. Nevertheless, the frequency of Persian allusions in Tarikh-i Jahangushay, as well as the use of rare and uncommon references that had been largely neglected by earlier authors, suggests that ‘Aṭamalik Juvayni deliberately employed these Iranian allusions for specific purposes in his work. This study, based on a descriptive-analytical method, aims to examine the Persian allusions in Juvayni’s Tarikh-i Jahangushay in order to uncover the goals and intentions behind their use, while also investigating the reasons for the emphasis on rare and infrequently used allusions. The findings of this research indicate that aims such as exaggeration in praise, indirect criticism of the Mongols, evoking national unity and hope among Iranians, preserving the authenticity of the Persian language, maintaining textual balance, and personal interest in Iranian elements were among Juvayni’s motivations. Furthermore, factors such as innovation in literary composition, avoidance of repetition, creation of new meanings, and setting an example for future generations contributed to the prominence of these rare and lesser-used allusions, presenting Juvayni not only as a historian, but also as a preserver of Iranian culture and identity in the 7th century AH. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10357.html Musāmarat al-akhbār wa musāyarat al-akhyār, also known as *Tārikh-e Saljūqiyeh*, is a remarkable book by Khwāja Karīm al-Dīn Mahmūd ibn Muḥammad Āqsarā'ī, which recounts the conditions of the Seljuks, the Mongols, and the rulers of Rūm. It was written in the Persian language. Due to its attention to the historical and social points of that period, it mentions the names of many of the kings, viziers, and notables of that era, a large number of which are in Turkish and Mongolian. Although the text of the mentioned book is in Persian, and the author endeavored, in addition to observing the components of the robust language of his time, to use literary devices, proverbs, and other literary techniques to introduce his work as one of the significant books of his age, it still contains traces of the Turkish language in some of its phrases and sentences. Unfortunately, due to unfamiliarity with the Turkish language, the incorrect pronunciation of many of these proper names has become prevalent even among researchers of history and literature, and in many cases, this has led to an incorrect understanding of their meanings. Considering the importance of the pronunciation of proper names for the correct reading of the entire text and the accurate comprehension of their meanings, the present research attempts, through a library and field study, relying on Turkish dictionaries and using methodical linguistic reasoning—such as the examination of word roots, comparison of words with their cognates, substitution in other phrases and sentences, and interviews with the elderly in various Turkic-speaking regions—to explain the correct reading of some of the proper names in this book and their meaning close to reality. Consequently, twenty-one specific names from among the proper names in this book, which seemed more complex than the rest and also contained linguistic points, were selected and explicated. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10385.html A proper understanding of nonverbal communication and decoding its message has a significant impact on understanding poets' poetry, and in principle, it is not possible to recognize a poet's poetic style, worldview, poetic art, and literary quality of his words without interpreting his nonverbal behaviors. The purpose of the above research is to examine and analyze the epic poem "Derafsh e Kavian", a poem by Hamid Mosaddeq, from the perspective of using nonverbal communication and decoding the nonverbal markers of this type of communication. This research, using a descriptive analytical method, while examining the types of non-verbal communication tools and the extent to which Mosaddeq uses these elements, seeks to evaluate the impact and function of each of them in transmitting the message, the fertility, and the process of artistic transformation of the poet's words. To achieve this goal, after examining the collection, these tools have been interpreted and decoded into 6 categories: appearance, body movements, facial behaviors, paralinguistics, artifacts, and fluency, and several subcategories, classifications, and poetic evidence, each with respect to Baird Wiesel's kinesthetic theory. The research approach indicates that Mosaddeq used appropriate non-verbal tools to depict the desperate and stifling environment of his era, to commemorate the Kaveh uprising, and to create an epic atmosphere and inspire the oppressed people to a Kaveh-like uprising. In conveying the intended concepts and convincing the audience, Mosaddeq mostly resorted to the movement of limbs and artifacts, while elegance and appearance were less considered. These tools often had a substitution function, and then complementary and control-substitution functions. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10446.html One of the lesser known, yet innovative, poetic styles that was active in the 11th and 12th centuries is the Tazriq style. This style has been attractive to many researchers because of its striking features such as linguistic and rhetorical deconstructions, new and unusual phrases and clauses, and its apparent meaninglessness. Because this style deviates from ordinary and well-accepted routines, many researchers and critics regard it as a cheap style, unwelcome and pointless. In addition, they take it as a kind of humor, playfulness and parody. In this research, we categorize and then meta-analyze the contemporary researches and evaluate whether they are consistent with the historical and literary texts, namely the Tazriq poems. In addition, this paper proposes a new definition for meaningfulness in Tazriq poems. Some main findings are as follows: Tazriq poems do not necessarily have correct grammar; they are not made for playfulness; despite its deconstruction of the ususal routines, Tazriq poems has meaning; their meaning can be extracted from their historical and cultural contexts in which they were made. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10577.html The importance of language as a key tool in shaping and reflecting ideologies has made it one of the main areas of concern for feminists. A close examination of language can lead us to a deeper understanding of gendered structures of power, oppression, or resistance. In this research, using qualitative analysis and library and documentary studies, we have attempted to examine the novel DadeQadamKhair, focusing on Sarah Mills' feminist stylistic framework, in order to identify gender signs in the language of this novel as a narrative work in the context of history. Analysis of women's writing at the three levels of vocabulary, sentences, and discourse shows that the author has redefined part of women's identity in her writing by using appropriate feminine expressions, employing objectivity and detail in phrasing, and raising women's concerns at the discourse level. The novel DadeQadamKhair presents an outstanding example of using the features of language to present a complex, dynamic, and critical portrayal of women's lived experience. This work is the second book in Mahshid Amirshahi's four-volume novel Madaran va Dokhtaran, and it seems that the other books in this novel can also be examined in the framework of this model and, overall, are a notable example of women's writing. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10701.html Our understanding of the world around us is influenced by various dimensions of time. Broadly speaking, there are two distinct approaches to deictic time expressions: the Moving Time metaphor and the Moving Ego metaphor. In the Moving Time metaphor, time is conceptualized as moving forward. In contrast, the Moving Ego metaphor conceptualizes the observer as moving forward through time. The aim of the present study is to provide a cognitive analysis of the interpretation patterns of metaphorical time expressions in Persian. This research is grounded in cognitive linguistics and employs the framework developed by McGlone and Harding (1998) regarding the interpretation of time metaphors. The study sample consisted of 118 Persian-speaking participants selected from among students at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan. The Chi-square test was used for the statistical analysis of the data. According to the results of the Chi-square test, the dominant pattern of interpreting metaphorical time in Persian is the Moving Ego metaphor. The predominance of the Moving Ego pattern in Persian may reflect a specific cultural perspective toward time, in which individuals perceive themselves as moving through time. Furthermore, by confirming the role of contextual information in understanding temporal metaphors, this study emphasizes on the importance of cultural and experiential context in shaping abstract concepts. https://rhetorical.semnan.ac.ir/article_10727.html Nizami Ganjavi is one of the great poets of Persian literature, whose sonnets were followed by Khajavi Kermani. Love and its conceptual system is one of the themes that has a special place in the lyrics of both poets due to the combination of romantic concepts and mystical concepts. The present study was conducted with the aim of analyzing and investigating the conceptual metaphor of love in Nizami and Khajovi ‌Kermani's sonnets. Based on the descriptive-analytical method, this research examines the domains of common vehicles and the domains of different vehicles in Nizami and Khajo's sonnets through the classification of visual schemas. The results indicate that the pictorial schemas for concepts such as sadness, fire, lethality, drunkenness, mysteriousness, newness, love over reason, light, lawsuit, passion, lion, clothes, deprivation of freedom and sacred The domains of vehicles are common in Nizami and Khajo poems. On the other hand, the fields of vehicles of grief and pain have the highest frequency in Nizami and Khajovi-Kermani's sonnets. These similar frequencies for these concepts indicate the similar view of these two poets on the concept of love; In addition to this, the poems of both poets have several non-common domains for the conceptualization of love, which shows the individuality and artistic view of each poet towards this concept.