Analysis of Speech Acts in the White Dome from Nezami’s Haft Peykar in Advancing the Narrative with Emphasis on John R. Searle’s Theory

Subject Areas : Comparative Literature Studies

Tayebe Mohammadi Khah ¹ , Farzaneh Yousef Ghanbari ^{2 *} , shahin ghasemi ³ , Ali Zahed ⁴

1 -
2 - 2. Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Dezful Campus, Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ahvaz Campus, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
4 - Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Dezful Campus, Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran.

Received: 2025-03-23 Accepted : 2025-04-24 Published : 2025-11-27

Keywords: Speech Act Theory, John Searle, Nezami Ganjavi, The White Dome.,

Abstract :

John Searle’s speech act theory, as one of the most significant theories in linguistics and the philosophy of language, provides an appropriate framework for analyzing literary texts. This study, adopting a descriptive-analytical approach and utilizing library sources, examines the story of The White Dome from Nezami Ganjavi’s Haft Peykar based on the fundamental concepts of this theory, including assertive, directive, expressive, commissive, and declarative speech acts. The White Dome, as one of Nezami’s most outstanding stories, reflects various aspects of social relationships through rhetorical techniques and imagery. From the perspective of speech act theory, this story demonstrates how characters convey profound meanings through their speech acts and how language plays a role in shaping and developing the narrative. Addressing, pledging, promising, and breaking promises are among the influential speech acts in the story’s structural and semantic framework. This analysis reveals that Nezami Ganjavi implicitly utilized the principles of this theory and depicted aspects of love, spirituality, and social conflicts through the characters’ speech. This research not only enhances the understanding of the story’s speech structure but also illustrates how modern linguistic theories contribute to the interpretation of classical literary texts.