Function of the Speech acts in an allegory from Mathnavi-e Ma’navi

Introduction A speech act is basically an action that is realized through uttering a statement. According to speech act theory, the unit of linguistic communication is not the pronunciation of words and sentences; rather, such pronunciation is only part of communication, which is fully realized in the "Utterance". An utterance can range in length from a single word to an entire book, because in any case, it has one of the purposes of persuasion, news, announcement, etc., and encompasses three simultaneous acts performed by the speaker: the utterance act, the propositional act, and the illocutionary act. For example, when we say, “Close the window,” first we have a sentence that includes several meaningful words. Secondly, by pronouncing this sentence, we have raised a case about the window, and thirdly, we have performed an action that is not obvious in the pronunciation and case of the said sentence, i.e., it is implicit, rather than explicit. Looking at actions, instead of just paying attention to the meaning of words and phrases, tries to reach the implicit action of parts of speech. The way to reach this verb theme in the speech and in fact the way to reach the main purpose and goal that the speaker has from his speech is to pay attention to the situational context of the speech, as the same word can have different purposes in different situations. The main aim of this article is to find out how speech acts worked in one of the most famous illustrations of Mathnavi-e Ma’navi: "the story of the pond, the fishermen, and the three fish." Materials and Methods This research analyzes the allegory from Mathnavi-e Ma’navi using a descriptive-analytical approach based on library research. The sentences in the verses of the story were separated into three groups of words of the wise fish, the semi-wise fish, and the ignorant fish from the perspective of the actor. Then, according to the context of the situation formed by Rumi in the previous verses, the meanings intended by the speakers of the speeches were determined. In the next step, the relationship between the apparent meanings of the sentences and their implicit meanings, which determine the direct and indirect actions, was taken into account. Then, the structure of the performance of the fish was presented as a symbol of the three classes of humans. Finally, the structure of Rumi's macro actions determined. Results and Discussion According to the contextual analysis, the entire story is a macro speech act of the representative type, through which Rumi indirectly confirms the issue of the division of human beings in terms of their relationship to intellect. In addition to the overall message, the individual speeches of the three fish serve as subcomponents of a larger communicative act, intended to affirm, encourage, or warn, which fall under the two actions of representative and directive. Due to the educational nature of Mathnavi, the mentioned result can be extended to other allegories in the text. In other words, this book can be considered as a macro utterance, which Maolavi first explains different knowledge to the audience by producing it, (representative act), then guides him to reach the level of knowledge (directive act). Rumi’s micro utterances in this allegory are representative to explain and describe the events of the story. Table 1. Rumi’s macro utterances MACRO UTTERANCES TYPE OF ACT ILLOCUTIONARY FORCE DIRECT/INDIRECT WHOLE OF STORY Representative To confirm Indirect Directive Encouragement, Warning Indirect SPEECH OF WISE FISH Representative To confirm Indirect Directive Encouragement Indirect SPEECH OF HALF WISE FISH Representative To confirm Indirect Directive Warning Indirect SPEECH OFIGNORANT FISH Representative To confirm Indirect Directive Warning Indirect Table 2 . Number of the fish’s speech acts ACTS REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTIVE EXPRESSIVE CUMMISSIVE DECLARATIVE ACTURS WISE FISH 7 17 0 0 0 HALF WISE FISH 13 3 6 0 0 IGNORANT FISH 0 0 1 5 0 Conclusion This study demonstrates that the structure of human speech acts is closely linked to the degree of one’s relationship with intellect. A wise person, due to his consistent reliance on reason when facing problems, first engages in representative acts, which serve to explain the situation and analyze its various aspects. His next step is to persuade others to take appropriate action. This sequence, executed at the right time, enables the wise individual to achieve success with minimal effort. A semi-wise person, having distanced himself from the centrality of intellect and the guidance of a wise mentor, exhibits a different pattern of action. His behavior begins with regret over missing the opportunity to accompany the wise person (expressive act). Yet, with the limited reasoning he possesses, he quickly realizes that he must follow the example of the wise person or face ruin. Thus, his next step is to motivate himself to imitate the wise (directive act). This is followed by explaining the method of following (representative act), and ultimately, by expressing satisfaction upon achieving salvation and redemption (expressive act). In contrast, the actions of an ignorant person, due to his estrangement from intellect and consequent suffering, begin with surrender (expressive act) and end with a promise (commissive act). Therefore, by examining the narrative context and the situation in which these acts occur, the influence of intellect can be clearly observed in shaping the structure of speech acts across the three human archetypes.