Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 9، December 2026 ، issue Number 127

Analyzing Persuasive Strategies in Carpet Buying and Selling Conversations in Mashhad Based on Fairclough's Model

Raheleh Karimi Feyzabadi , Shahla Sharifi (Author in Charge), Azam Estagi

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: So far, research in the field of discourse analysis in Persian has predominantly focused on written literary texts, while informal spoken discourse, particularly buying and selling conversations, has received less attention.

This study aims to analyze speech style in carpet buying and selling conversations in Mashhad based on Fairclough"s three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis, with a focus on specific rhetorical devices.

METHODOLOGY: The research data were collected through fieldwork by recording three naturally occurring conversations between carpet buyers and sellers in stores in Mashhad. The conversations were selected with consideration of the gender of the participants (male seller/female buyer, female seller/male buyer, and female seller/couple buyers) and were analyzed within the framework of Fairclough"s three-dimensional model. At the descriptive level, seven rhetorical devices-logical reasoning, arousing emotions, establishing the speaker"s credibility, contrast, simile and metaphor, rhetorical questions, and repetition-were systematically extracted and examined from the data. At the interpretive and explanatory levels, these devices were analyzed in relation to power dynamics, discursive identities, and social ideologies.

FINDINGS: The results showed that, at the descriptive level, the rhetorical devices were used with considerable frequency in the conversations, and their primary functions were to justify price and quality, establish an emotional connection with the product, and gain the buyer"s trust by demonstrating their expertise and honesty. At the interpretive level, the conversations followed the pattern of "information request-information provision-negotiation-agreement." By relying on technical knowledge and control over the discourse sequence, the seller assumes the position of a "guiding expert," while the buyer also exercises relative economic power-not only through direct bargaining but also through strategies such as promising future purchases. Discursive identity construction is jointly shaped by both parties. At the explanatory level, the discourse governing these conversations is connected with the ideology of luxury consumption and symbolic investment, relatively persistent gender stereotypes in the division of purchasing roles (although there are indications of their gradual modification), and the cultural and religious beliefs of Mashhad. Moreover, honesty and trust are transformed within this discourse into a form of "cultural capital" that serves economic persuasion.

CONCLUSION: Carpet buying and selling conversations are rhetorical, negotiative, and ideological texts in which language simultaneously performs economic, social, and cultural functions, while power between the seller and buyer is distributed relatively and reciprocally rather than unilaterally. Fairclough"s three-dimensional model is an effective tool for analyzing Persian spoken discourse, and its application to commercial contexts can contribute to expanding the scope of Persian stylistics from written literary texts to everyday interactions and spoken discourse.

Keyword
Critical Discourse Analysis , Fairclough's Model , Persuasive Strategies , Rhetorical Devices , Buying and Selling Conversations