- Count View : 37
- آدرس کوتاه شده مقاله: https://bahareadab.com/article_id/2054
- کد IranDOI مقاله: IranDOI :10.irandoi.2002/bahareadab.2026 .19 .8272
volume Number : 19
number In Volume : 6
issue Number : 124
Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19،
number In Volume 6،
،
issue Number 124
A comparative study of proverbs in Persian and Kurdish (Middle Kurmanji dialect) from the perspective of Searle's speech acts
Shahila Hamid Mohammad (Author in Charge), Yousef Sharif Saeed
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Proverbs, as one of the richest elements of oral literature, are considered efficient and dynamic tools for conveying the speaker"s intention and performing linguistic actions in various social contexts, beyond sentences with a fixed and melodious structure. Examining these expressions from a pragmatic perspective can reveal the hidden aspects of the mentality and culture of societies. The present study aims to perform a pragmatic analysis and comparison of proverbs in Persian and the Middle Kurmanji (Sorani) Kurdish dialect based on John Searle"s speech act theory in order to determine the functional pattern of these expressions in the collective wisdom of the two cultures
METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach and based on a corpus of 1813 proverbs, including 1190 Persian and 623 Kurdish. The research data were extracted and evaluated and classified quantitatively and qualitatively based on five speech act categories (declarative, persuasive, emotional, warning, and imperative)
FINDINGS: The statistical distribution and hierarchy of actions in both languages have a completely identical pattern. The declarative action with the highest frequency (Persian 817 cases and Kurdish 443 cases) is the most frequently used action, which indicates the main and fundamental function of proverbs in describing realities and representing the world. After it, there is the persuasive action, which reflects their educational role and social control. The very low frequency of the imperative action (only 5 cases in Persian and 3 cases in Kurdish) proves that the nature of proverbs is completely impersonal. This surprising alignment in the distribution of actions indicates deep cognitive, cultural commonalities and intellectual roots between the speakers of these two languages; although subtle differences are observed in the metaphors and metaphors used (naturalistic elements in Kurdish and more abstract concepts in Persian) to realize these actions
CONCLUSION: The Sorani Kurdish dialect relies more on elements of nature, mountains, and rural life to construct persuasive or declarative actions; while Persian proverbs, due to their historical diversity of urbanization and strong influence from classical literature, often use more abstract or urban metaphors.
Keyword
Pragmatics
, Speech Act Theory
, John Searle
, Proverbs
, Persian Language
, Kurdish Language (Sorani)
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