Motaleat-e-zaban-e-farsi

Motaleat-e-zaban-e-farsi

A Study of the Processes of Verbs in Thirty Ghazals by Attar (From the Perspective of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics)

Authors
rouhangiz hamdidourbash 1
Abbasali Vafaei 2
1 Master's degree in Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding author)
2 Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jmzf.2026.246031
Abstract

1. Introduction
According to Michael Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics, language is a tool for conveying meaning and establishing communication among individuals in a society. Any type of linguistic selection is considered “functional and meaningful” if it is used within a context, a social situation, or within a culture (see: Fotouhi, 1391: 147). The concept of meaning in systemic functional theory is manifested through three metafunctions: the “ideational metafunction,” the “interpersonal metafunction,” and the “textual metafunction” (see: Sadri, 1394: 39). Since, in the ideational metafunction, the language user represents his or her external and internal experiences through processes, examining the verbal processes in a work can, to some extent, reveal the stylistic and personal characteristics of the poet or writer.
So far, no scientific research has been conducted on Attar’s ghazals; therefore, the present study attempts, through this approach, to examine the verbal processes present in thirty of Attar’s ghazals and to introduce and evaluate the capabilities of this theory in the analysis and interpretation of literary texts. In Halliday’s functional grammar, with the aid of the transitivity system, we can explain the differences among verbal processes and demonstrate that their occurrence is not accidental. Accordingly, this study seeks to answer the following questions:
1- What meaningful relationship exists in Attar’s ghazals between the verbal processes employed and the subject matter of the ghazal?
2- Which processes and which participants play the dominant and prevailing roles in Attar’s ghazals?
3- To what extent is Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics effective and appropriate for analyzing and examining literary texts, particularly poetic works?

2. Methodology
In this study, thirty ghazals from Attar’s three categories of ghazals (romantic, mystical, and Qalandari) constitute the basis of the research. The method of analyzing the texts under consideration is based on the analytical-statistical methods of the functional approach and library sources, and in analyzing and interpreting the data, the views of literary scholars and stylisticians, as well as, to some extent, linguistic intuition, have been employed.

3. Discussion
In Halliday’s functional linguistics, language is an interwoven network of systems that conveys meaning through nested choices. This comprehensive network is composed of three semantic networks known as the ideational metafunction, the interpersonal metafunction, and the textual metafunction. In the ideational metafunction, external and internal experiences are represented through verbal processes by means of the transitivity system of language. The principal verbal processes in Halliday’s theory are “material, mental, and relational,” while the secondary verbal processes are “behavioral, verbal, and existential” (ibid.).


4. Conclusion
Considering the findings of the study, we arrive at the conclusion that, in Attar’s ghazals, there is a close and meaningful relationship between the type of ghazal and the processes employed in it. Attar’s ghazals are based on a kind of realism accompanied by certainty. Among the reasons for this are the high frequency of material processes, with a high frequency of the simple present and simple past tenses, together with the frequent use of indicative moods. This process accounts for 32.88% and plays a significant role in all three collections.
Its highest frequency is observed in the Qalandari and romantic ghazals, which indicates external experiences.
Relational processes, at 32.33%, have the highest frequency of use in the mystical ghazals due to the abstract atmosphere governing them.
Another noteworthy point in Attar’s ghazals is the frequency of cognitive mental processes, at 41.93%, whose use is meaningfully most prevalent in Attar’s mystical and Qalandari ghazals. This issue, together with the high frequency of negative existential processes, indicates a profound epistemological introspection in Attar’s perspective.
Among the active participants in the romantic and mystical ghazals is the “beloved” (earthly and heavenly), followed by the lover himself, which demonstrates the central role of the beloved in Attar’s thoughts and ideas. In the Qalandari ghazal, the “pir” (spiritual master), in the form of a preacher, assumes the greatest participation.
Among the frequently used circumstantial elements, the elements of time, place, quality, and cause have a high frequency in giving objectivity to and making Attar’s external and internal experiences appear increasingly realistic.
Finally, it can be stated that Halliday’s functional linguistics, due to its meaning-based nature, its attention to the non-linguistic context, and its consideration of all aspects of discourse in the analysis of literary texts, is highly effective.
کتاب­شناسی
الف: کتاب ­ها
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ب: مقاله­ ها
1)      امیرخانلو، معصومه (1394)، «سبک‌شناسی غزلیات حافظ براساس فعل، رویکرد نقش‌گرا» نشریۀ ادب فارسی، سال 5، شمارۀ 2 (پیاپی16)، صص 169-186.
2)      ایشانی، طاهره، نعمتی قزوینی، معصومه (1392)، «بررسی انسجام و پیوستگی در سورۀ صف با رویکرد زبان­شناسی نقش گرا»، مجله انجمن ایرانی زبان و ادبیات عربی، دورۀ 9، شمارۀ 27، صص 65-95.
3)      ایشانی، طاهره (1393)، «بررسی ویژگی­های سبکی و شخصیتی سیمین دانشور، با رویکرد زبان­شناسی نقش­گرا»، نشریۀ زبان شناخت پژوهشگاه علوم انسانی و مطالعات فرهنگی، سال 5، شمارۀ 1، صص 19-34.
4)      صمدیانی، غلامرضا (1394)،  « بررسی تجربه‌های عرفانی در تمهیدات براساس فعل با تأکید بر رویکرد نقش‌گرا» نشریۀ نثرپژوهی ادب پارسی، سال 18، شمارۀ 37، صص 167-187.
 
ج: پایان­نامه ­ها
1)      حق‌بین، فریده (1382)، «بررسی صوری، نقشی و شناختی تعّدی در زبان فارسی»، پایان‌نامۀ دورۀ دکتری، تهران: دانشگاه علّامه طباطبایی.
2)      صدری، نیّره (1394)، «بررسی سبک‌شناختی گلستان سعدی با تکیه بر زبان‌شناسی نقش‌گرا»، پایان­نامۀ دورۀ دکتری، تهران: دانشگاه علّامه طباطبایی.
 
د: منابع انگلیسی
 
1)                 Halliday, M.A.K (2014), An Introduction to Functional Grammar, Revised by Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen.
2)                 Halliday, M.A.K and Matthiessen, chritian (2004), An Introduction to Functional Grammar, London: Edward Arnold.

  • Receive Date 24 August 2025
  • Revise Date 28 September 2025
  • Accept Date 06 November 2025