Reading the First Chapter of Sa’di's Bustan by Legitimation in Governmental Discourse Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to reach the dimensions of the meaning and theme of the first verse of Bustan, which, in understanding it, should receive the relation of the text to the social and cultural context in which it was produced. The method of this study is a critical analysis of discourse. In this approach, one of the points emphasized is that context is a social action reflecting the social inequalities in language. In this case, the legitimation or delegitimation methods are considered by Theo van Leeuwen, a discourse critical analysis theorist. In this pattern, critic tries to show how a context on study can represent a discourse legitimate or illegitimate by language satisfactory power. The main four methods of discourse legitimation are: 1- authorization; 2- moral evaluation, 3- rationalization, and 4- mythopoesis. Each method has various forms, and this research analyzes the first chapter of Bustan directly related to the governmental discourse in terms of legitimation methods. The final result of research is that, in the first chapter of Bustan, Sa’di's method for legitimation or delegimation of an issue in governmental discourse is rationalization, as it is natural according to the context audience, mainly including courtiers. The example of phrases Sa’di confirms the legitimation in governmental discourse in his lingual and literal processing is as follows: paying attention to the farmers, the passengers and businessmen for further development, confidentiality in governance affairs, accompaniment with scientists and clever, and such alike. But the world mortality and paying attention to the farmers are more frequent. Cruelty to the farmer has been more emphasized among the phrases delegitimated.

Keywords

• discourse critical analysis
• legitimation
• van leeuwen
• sa’di
• bustan