Discourse-Historical Approach to Religious Genre: The Case of a Persian Sermon
Subject Areas : Journal of Studies in Learning and Teaching English
1 - English Department
Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University
Najafabad, Iran
Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, Persian sermon, discourse strategies, discourse-historical approach (DHA),
Abstract :
Abstract. Inspired by critical discourse analysis as a transdisciplinary multi-approach, both social and linguistic theories user, and social issues manipulator to link socio-political and historical context, this paper was to investigate the layers, topic establishment, discourse strategies, and linguistic means of a Persian sermon. It particularly examined the sermon of an influential native Persian orator to analyze it critically based on Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach (2001), which depicted immediate language, intertextuality, extra-linguistic variables, and dimensions, to make explicit how the sermon genre in the Persian language puts them into practice. The close qualitative scrutiny indicated that the orator of the Persian sermon genre efficiently applied persuasion tools, including intertextuality and interdiscursivity, and discourse strategies, nomination, and predication, to talk over the main topic. This study intended to contribute to Persian learners of English to improve their insights into critical language awareness. It would enable them to act as professionals, teach them how to write, talk or interpret others, and equip them with the capabilities and understandings which are preconditions to become international orators.
