Discourse analysis
Sajjad Bagheri; Ali Alizadeh
Volume 15, Issue 3 , December 2023, , Pages 119-91
Abstract
The identity of women and the issues related to them are currently important all over the world, but due to some traditions that govern the societies, this part of the society has always been considered the second class. This way of looking at women's identity has also appeared in fiction. Since the ...
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The identity of women and the issues related to them are currently important all over the world, but due to some traditions that govern the societies, this part of the society has always been considered the second class. This way of looking at women's identity has also appeared in fiction. Since the discourse analysis emphasizes the principle that the way of creating each discourse is rooted in the viewpoint and opinion of the creator of that discourse and the social conditions and beliefs of that period, considering the principles of Van Dijk's ideological square, the threefold function of discourse, as well as the discourse strategies used by the authors, the novels were analyzed at semantic, description, style, and reasoning levels. This descriptive-analytical study was done on four famous Persian novels: Soovashoon by Daneshvar, I will turn off the lights by Pirzad, Year of riot by Maroufi, and Ahu Khanum’s husband by Afghan. Using the principles and common concepts of Van Dijk’s discourse analysis, and also through the examination of dialogues, presuppositions, description, interpretation, arguments and other discourse concepts, the formation of the identity of women in different social classes, taking the role of mother and wife, and their efforts to prove their identity were explored. As a result, three factors, including social behavior, educational behavior, and awareness were pinpointed as the main factors of representing women’s identity that allow it flourish.
Hamed Mowlaei kuhbanani; Ali Alizade; Shahla Sharifi
Volume 14, Issue 1 , April 2022, , Pages 1-27
Abstract
This study wants to present a new approach to clausal constituent ordering of Persian. Functional Discourse Grammar as the latest Functional Grammar (2008) is selected as the framework, for this sake. Unlike Greenberg’s typological view (1963), FDG has a dynamic approach for constituent ordering. ...
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This study wants to present a new approach to clausal constituent ordering of Persian. Functional Discourse Grammar as the latest Functional Grammar (2008) is selected as the framework, for this sake. Unlike Greenberg’s typological view (1963), FDG has a dynamic approach for constituent ordering. In this way, there is not any fixed position in clause for language elements already determined; instead, element’s position is determined by its original layer, pragmatic and semantic functions and its superordinated elements in the hierarchy of Interpersonal and Representational levels. Furthermore, FDG rules in this respect are proper for the ordering of phrase and word elements too. However, this study aims to focus only on clausal constituent ordering of Persian. FDG considers four Absolute positions (PI,P2,PM,PF) and unlimited number of Relative position for clausal elements. In its top-down fashion, whenever one of these four Absolute positions are occupied by an element, its Relative ones will be available. In this case there will be 14 logically possible word order correspondences to any of Greenberg’s word order patterns. In other word, FDG introduces 84 word order patterns for Greenberg’s six word order SOV, SVO, OVS, OSV, VOS, and VSO. The results of study show that FDG’s proposals for word order can be applied on Persian as a fairly free ordered language. Furthermore, it is possible to justify Persian scrambling (as the pragmatic intention of speaker) in a based-generated way because FDG does not consider movement. For this sake, Persian short-distance leftward scrambling as a frequent phenomenon is investigated on the basis of pragmatic (not syntactic) considerations in the last part of study.
mohammad javad Hadizadeh; Mohammad javad Mahdavy; rezamorad sahraee; ali alizadeh
Volume 11, Issue 2 , June 2020, , Pages 1-24
Abstract
Task-based learning method is considered as one of the successful methods in communicative language teaching, which possess the advantages of teamwork and class interaction along with the positive components of attention to the grammatical forms. Although, few independent studies have been conducted ...
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Task-based learning method is considered as one of the successful methods in communicative language teaching, which possess the advantages of teamwork and class interaction along with the positive components of attention to the grammatical forms. Although, few independent studies have been conducted on the task-based method in Persian language; numerous studies have been done on the impact of the task-based method in English language. After stating the significance of the task-based method, by selecting three types of the most common tasks in text books relating to teaching Persian language grammar to speakers of other languages(short composition, editing task and spot the differences)and registering the interactions between sixteen Persian language learners in Saadi Foundation through studying the language related episodes and meta-talks of each of them while performing these tasks in a group, the current study attempts to examine these tasks effects on drawing the language learners' attention to the grammatical forms; and then it presents a resultant from the practical application of task-based method in classroom and its advantages. Results show that performing the tasks in teamwork has obviously a positive effect on improving the grammatical ability of the language learners; the positive or negative feedback that the learners provide in their interactions are constructive in most cases; it leads to a correct decision-making, and the learners are more dominant on the grammatical categories that they learn in form of a task. Among the various types of task, editing task is the most suitable choice for teaching grammar due to having the redesigning capability for paying attention to various grammatical forms and a more specific reflection of the target grammatical categories on it.
Tahereh Vahidi Ferdowsi; Ali Alizadeh; Zahra Badamdari
Volume 9, Issue 17 , July 2018, , Pages 175-202
Abstract
Extended abstract
1- Introduction
Language learning is one of the most complex issues in teaching a foreign language. Prepositions having different meanings in different contexts are mostly problematic issues for both language instructors and non-Persian learners. Although prepositions are frequently ...
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Extended abstract
1- Introduction
Language learning is one of the most complex issues in teaching a foreign language. Prepositions having different meanings in different contexts are mostly problematic issues for both language instructors and non-Persian learners. Although prepositions are frequently used in Persian textbooks and daily conversations, learners fail to incidentally acquire them and often show low achievements in using them correctly. The strategy commonly employed by language instructors is teaching the multiple senses of prepositions by rote learning (Song, 2013). Rote learning lacks comprehensive analysis of different concepts of prepositions. Hence, students have to memorize them merely by repetition. In contrast, Cognitive Linguistics (CL) suggests a different approach to teaching prepositions that may have a strong impact on the methodologies of foreign language teaching and meaningful learning (Song, 2013). Compared to traditional approaches, cognitive linguistics offers an account of language structure that is arguably more comprehensive (Langacker, 1995). It opens up a new perspective of the CL-inspired meaningful learning approach on language teaching demonstrating the unification of the integrated model of text and picture for comprehension (the ITPC model). It also integrates the new knowledge with related prior knowledge in the cognitive structure of the learner mind (Ausubel, 2000). In addition, the ITPC model illustrates thoroughly how information is processed through each stage of the cognitive procedure. Prepositions are considered as having different meanings that are presented in a very systematized and related way in this model that in turns provides a fruitful basis for explaining the use of prepositions in different contexts. Thus, it seems to have a great effect on the methods of foreign language teaching and learning (Song, 2013).
The present study focuses on the preposition, "Az" which is frequently used for presenting spatial meaning. So, the aim of the study is to provide an instructional syllabus based on cognitive semantics perspective for teaching different senses of this preposition to non- Persian speakers (in intermediate level). This preposition has 26 different usages as illustrated in Farhange Sokhane Anvari (2003). We have determined its prototype and different meanings based on this dictionary and the criteria of Tyler and Evans (2003). For this purpose, some sentences and phrases including this preposition were selected from non-Persian speaker’s textbooks in Jameat-almostafa center of Mashhad. According to Farhange Sokhane Anvari (2003), the first usage of this preposition is to show the “source” as far as the spatial and metaphoric concept is concerned. In this study, we introduced a suggested model of teaching in its abstract spatial usage. The proposed instructional method is an integrated model of text and picture (by PowerPoint and poster) for teaching semantic structure of the preposition, regarding its central and other meanings. The use of images, containing sensory and perceptual experiences of students, can make meaningful relationship between their new and previous knowledge. The findings open up an effective perspective in teaching and meaningful learning of this preposition for non-native speakers.
2- Theoretical Framework
Cognitive linguistics is one of the new schools of Linguistics derived from new cognitive sciences. In their interactions with environment, human beings perceive one thing in terms of another thing metaphorically. This is known as “conceptualization” in which abstract meanings are discovered based on their physical counterparts. We assume that a preposition designates a conceptual spatial relation between a TR (trajectory) and an LM (landmark), which constitutes an abstract spatial scene. Conceptual content can be abstracted away from specific spatial scenes, giving rise to a more abstract representation, which is called a proto-scene. A proto-scene is associated with prototype of a particular preposition. According to Langacker (1987), an image schema includes a trajectory, a landmark, and relationship between the trajectory and the landmark. Thus, prepositions are able to extend the spatial senses to their abstract senses by metaphorical mappings.
3- Methodology
In this study, first, according to the criteria of Tyler and Evans (2003), prototype and different meanings of preposition “Az” were selected from Farhang Sokhan (Anvari, 2003). Then, some sentences and phrases containing the preposition were investigated by random sampling in the textbooks of Jameat-Al-Mostafa center in Mashhad. Finally, a suggested model was introduced
for teaching the Persian preposition "Az” to non-native speakers, based on the domain theory of Langacker (1987) and the notion of image schemas (Lakoff & Johnson, 1987). The proposed instructional method is an integrated model of text and picture (by PowerPoint and poster) for teaching semantic structure of the preposition, regarding its central and other meanings.
At the end of each session, the related exercises were given to the students including multiple choice, filling the gap, and matching.
4- Results and Discussion
Based on the cognitive approach, the prototype meaning of preposition “Az” is the “source” in which trajectory (TR) runs away from landmark (LM). In the present study, the focus was on high frequency concepts, such as “source” and “part of whole”. In the first session, an interesting prologue was used to attract students. Since the image schema of ”Az”, is “source”, explain it’s spatial and abstract meanings. In the second session, another concept of it, “part of whole” is explained for spatial and abstract meanings. Finally, students should do the exercises.
5- Conclusion and Suggestions
This study focused on a cognitive approach to teaching Persian prepositions to non-native speakers. In cognitive approach, learning has more effects on knowledge acquisition in constructing cognitive schemata. In this approach, students can integrate new knowledge with relevant prior knowledge, so learning is meaningful and satisfying. In the present study, an instructional model for teaching two different concepts of preposition “Az” in the spatial and abstract domains are presented. Future studies are required to investigate other prepositions as well as their different meanings.
