زبان کاوی کاربردی (Aug 2024)
Linguistic Power in Women\'s Speech; An Exploration of on two films Ida Panahandeh\'s "Nahid" and Narges Abyar\'s "Track 143" [In Persian]
Abstract
This study investigates the linguistic authority present in women's speech within films directed by two female filmmakers whose gender corresponds with their protagonists. The objective is to conduct a linguistic analysis of verbal power—an essential element influencing communicative interactions and appropriate verbal conduct. In this regard, cinema significantly contributes to the formation of attitudes, and beliefs, as well as cognitive and behavioral changes within social structures. The portrayal of women in mass media—specifically cinema—can illuminate disparities in verbal authority among female and male characters. Consequently, this research utilizes qualitative content analysis grounded in Robin Tolmach Lakoff's theory (1975), which serves as a lens for understanding linguistic power dynamics. The analysis focuses on dialogues from "Nahid" by Ida Panahandeh and "Track 143" by Narges Abyar across three dimensions: lexical choice, grammatical structure, and phonetic features. The results reveal that both films employ an extensive array of linguistic strategies among their characters—both female and male—such as swearing, color descriptors, euphemisms, emotional phrases, hedges, intensifiers, repetition patterns, rising intonation on declarative, interrogative forms, and tag questions that illustrate varying degrees of linguistic power among characters while facilitating expressions of authority. The examination indicates that within both films' contexts, women's dialogue is imbued with more emotional nuance yet ultimately demonstrates diminished verbal authority. Both directors effectively illustrate a distinctly feminine communicative environment. Notable differences arise between the two films regarding euphemism usage and address terms; specifically, "Nahid" incorporates euphemisms that foster increased anger and distance among characters whereas Abyar's film employs address terms that enhance feelings of solidarity and closeness. Additionally, variations are observed in the application of repetition strategies and rising intonation; these techniques are utilized by both genders in "Track 143".The findings from this research hold potential relevance for linguists, social science researchers, media practitioners, and film critics alike.
