Subtitling Power and Promise: A Critical Sociolinguistic Analysis of Directive and Commissive Speech Acts in the Iranian Television Series Shahrzad

Mozaheb, Mohammad Amin; Ghajarieh, Amir; Shahidi, Amir Hossein Shahidi

Volume 2, Issue 1 (January 2025) JCALS 2025, 2(1): 35-58 | Back to browse issues page

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Mozaheb M A, Ghajarieh A, Shahidi A H S. Subtitling Power and Promise: A Critical Sociolinguistic Analysis of Directive and Commissive Speech Acts in the Iranian Television Series Shahrzad. JCALS 2025; 2 (1) : 2
URL: http://cals.gonbad.ac.ir/article-1-63-en.html

Subtitling Power and Promise: A Critical Sociolinguistic Analysis of Directive and Commissive Speech Acts in the Iranian Television Series Shahrzad

Mohammad Amin Mozaheb

, Amir Ghajarieh

, Amir Hossein Shahidi Shahidi

University of Ershad Damavand

Abstract: (34 Views)

This study addresses a critical gap in audiovisual translation research, examining how power and promise are rendered in Persian historical dramas. To this end, the intricate use of speech acts was analyzed in the dialogs of the acclaimed Iranian television series ‘Shahrzad’, set against the turbulent backdrop of Iran in the 1950s. Through a detailed analysis of the first season, the central role of speech acts in shaping the characters, progressing the plot and reflecting the socio-political tensions of the time is elaborated. The methodology employed includes qualitative content analysis, drawing on Bourdieusian critical analysis of speech acts to examine interactions between the main characters in order to uncover the nuanced strategies used to convey authority, intimacy, deception and resistance. The results show how the series uses directives to depict complex interpersonal relationships and social hierarchies. Most importantly, the speech acts serve as a lens through which the intricate web of personal and political intrigue is illuminated, reflecting the interplay between individual desires and collective cultural norms. The analysis also shows how the speech acts help to construct a narrative that is both historically resonant and thematically rich, offering insights into the struggles for power, love and autonomy. This study has implications for critical translation pedagogy and decolonizing audiovisual translation practices. It also contributes to sociolinguistics by demonstrating how directive speech acts in media narratives can transcend purely linguistic functions and serve as central vehicles ideology, power asymmetries, cultural (re)production, and the politics of translation.

Article number: 2

Keywords: Critical Sociolinguistics, Audiovisual Translation, Speech Act Theory, Politeness, Persian Pragmatics, Ideology in Translation, Power and Discourse

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Type of Study: Research | Subject: General
Received: 2024/08/17 | Accepted: 2024/10/5 | Published: 2025/01/1