This research employs Searle's (1969) Speech Acts Theory and Brown and Levinson's (1987) Politeness Theory as core frameworks to meticulously analyse the intricate interplay between directive acts and face-threatening-acts within Surat Yusuf from the Glorious Quran. The study describes the use of these techniques in communication between Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) and his father, brothers, Al Aziz, Al Aziz's wife, and the prisoners. Taking into account variables like social distance and relative power dynamics, the research sheds light on the complex language strategies employed. The questions of the research can be summarized as, is there a strong relation between directive acts and face-threatening acts? Do the context and social distance of the interlocutors effect this relation? The objectives of the study sheds lights on the different ways of expressing directives acts such as requests, questions, orders…etc. with relation to face-threatening acts. The data analysis provides thorough insights into the communication dynamics within religious narratives. The research at hand has inferences for a variety of contexts and disciplines, advancing both academic and applied understandings. Finally, the study is regarded as a qualitative one with no stylistic analysis. The main conclusions of this study show that directive acts have different forms depending on different factors. Directive acts may have a specific form but a different function.
Read full abstract