Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Bu - Ali Sina
2 Bu Ali Sina
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.
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