Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mohammad reza Pahlavannezhad ¹
• Atousa Babak ²

¹ Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

² Ph.D. Candidate of General Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

This article presents a functional analysis, based on Halliday’s interpersonal metafunction, of Mohammad Mossadegh’s historical speeches during the fifth and sixth terms of the National Assembly. The study aims to identify how elements such as "verbal violence," "flattery," "speaking from a position of power," and "definitive statements" are reflected in the language of this prominent figure in Iran’s democracy movement. For this purpose, 223 sentences representing each of these four categories were extracted from the book Dr. Mossadegh and His Historical Speeches. For every category, the subject of the sentences, tense, polarity, and modality of the Finite were examined. Additionally, attention was given to whether the sentences served the primary speech roles of giving or requesting information or goods-&-services.
The findings of this analytical-descriptive research revealed the following linguistic features in Mossadegh’s speeches:
1.Self-deprecation and deprecation of others.
2.Recklessness in using language against others.
3.Use of inclusive clause subjects (e.g., employing "no one" or non-personal subjects in the subject position to refer to everyone).
4.Positioning oneself in speech as distinct from the general public.
5.Assertive speaking (sometimes even stating unreal events—for instance, expressing certainty about a future event that has not occurred to this day, such as referring to the Pahlavi-Mosul railway).
6.Self-centeredness in expressing opinions.
7.Frequent use of imperative sentences when the speaker perceives himself to be in a position of power.

Keywords

• verbal tyranny
• interpersonal meta function
• verbal violence
• flattery
• speaking from a position of power
• definitive opinion