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Article published In: International Journal of Language and Culture
Vol. 11:2 (2024) ► pp.229–261

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Conceptualizations of Iranian women in the dialogues and visuals of a local film

 | University of IsfahanIsfahan
ORCiD logo with link | Gonbad Kavous UniversityGonbad-e-Kavous
Published online: 26 November 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00063.abb
Abstract
This paper addresses conceptualizations of Iranian women represented in the dialogues and visuals of the Iranian locally-produced film The Paternal House; a film that portrays Iranian women in pre- and post-revolutionary Iran. Our findings, based on cultural conceptualizations analytical framework, revealed cultural metaphors (woman as slut, rancid food, crooked rib, ungodly human, and big-mouthed), cultural schemas (Iranian women as related to one’s aberou ‘credit’, gheirat ‘honor’, and Iranian women as humiliated characters who suffers from lack of personal autonomy), and a cultural category (inferior gender) related to Iranian women before the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Also, the study showed a reconceptualization of the cultural schema of lack of personal autonomy in post-revolutionary Iran, where educated Iranian women confidently strive for their freedom of choice. The study highlights the importance of film dialogues and visuals in conveying cultural conceptualizations of women in a specific speech community over time.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Review of related literature
    • 2.1Women and media
    • 2.2Portrayal of women in films
    • 2.3Cultural Linguistics
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Data
    • 3.2Analytical framework
    • 3.3Data collection and data analysis procedures
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Cultural schemas in relation to woman in The Paternal House before Islamic Revolution in Iran
      • 4.1.1gheirat ‘honor’
      • 4.1.2aberou ‘credit’
      • 4.1.3women’s lack of personal autonomy
      • 4.1.4tahǫir ‘humiliation’
    • 4.2Cultural categories in relation to Women in The Paternal House before Islamic Revolution in Iran
      • 4.2.1inferior gender
    • 4.3Cultural metaphors of woman in The Paternal House before Islamic Revolution in Iran
      • 4.3.1torshideh ‘rancid food’
      • 4.3.2lakāteh ‘a sexually corrupted woman; a slut’
      • 4.3.3bidin ‘ungodly’
      • 4.4.4dandeye kaj ‘crooked rib’
      • 4.4.5dahan laǫ ‘big mouthed’
    • 4.5Cultural reconceptualizations of woman in The Paternal House after the Islamic Revolution in Iran
      • 4.5.1Cultural schema of women’s personal autonomy
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
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