Arabic Literature

Argumentative Techniques in the Thirty-First Letter of Nahj al-Balagha Based on Components of Functional Grammar

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Seyyed Mehdi Masboogh 1
Fereshteh Shahin 2

1 Professor of Arabic Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2 Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jalit.2025.390918.612934
Abstract
Humans utilize language for communication and the transmission of thought, structuring their objectives and intentions within its framework. Pragmatics, or the study of language use, prioritizes the communicative functions of language. One such function is persuasion, achieved through argumentative techniques that influence the syntactic structure of sentences. Among modern grammatical theories, Simon Dik’s Functional Grammar, later adopted by Ahmad al-Mutawakkil, adopts a pragmatic approach to sentence structure, emphasizing the pragmatic roles and communicative goals of linguistic elements. This descriptive-analytical study investigates the interplay between argumentative techniques and components of Functional Grammar in the Thirty-First Letter of Nahj al-Balagha. The findings reveal that the interrogative focus in the letter overlaps with rhetorical questioning, serving as a strategy to internalize beliefs in the audience’s mind. The complementary focus aligns with textual citations, functioning as a mechanism to expand the audience’s semantic horizon and encourage action. The focal chain resembles a pragmatic continuum, grading the hierarchical levels of argumentation from Imam Ali’s (AS) perspective. Additionally, contrastive focus, through focalization, establishes the groundwork for argumentation and stabilizes reasoning. Modal adjuncts in Imam Ali’s (AS) discourse, reflecting his commitment to the occurrence of events, play a role in reinforcing or weakening argumentative propositions

Keywords

Functional Grammar
Simon Dik
Ahmad al-Mutawakkil
Pragmatics
Argumentation
Nahj al-Balagha
Subjects
 
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  • Receive Date 28 February 2025
  • Revise Date 12 May 2025
  • Accept Date 31 May 2025

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