Proverbs in Producing the Intended Discourse: An Understanding of the Conative Functional Aspect of the Pashto Proverbs

Mashhood Ahmad; Roslina Bin Mamat

doi:10.56868/jadhur.v5i1.340

Authors

Mashhood Ahmad Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 Serdang, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1904-5167
Roslina Bin Mamat Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 Serdang, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56868/jadhur.v5i1.340

Keywords:

Discourse, Discursive Aspect, Conative Function, Pashto, Proverbs

Abstract

Pashto proverbs, as a folkloric genre, are effectively utilized in the communication processes of the Pashtun community residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. They play a significant role in the communicative and socio-cognitive framing of the Pashtun community. Pashto proverbs employ figurative language to perform a discursive function in communication. However, this folklore genre of Pashto proverbs has not received substantial attention in research studies. Therefore, this paper addresses the question of what discursive function Pashto proverbs perform in shaping the intended discourse when used within the community. This study analyzes 10 purposely selected Pashto proverbs from Rohi Mataluna (Pashto Proverbs, 2007) authored by Mohammad Nawaz Tair and Thomas C. Edwards, utilizing both their literal English translations and contextual usage. Investigating the discursive role of these proverbs as cultural assets through the lens of Elias Domínguez Barajas’s Proverbs as Discursive Tools (PDT) approach and the Mapping Domains Procedure, the findings reveal that Pashto proverbs serve a vital conative functional role. Ultimately, they act as rhetorical tools to influence the addressee and successfully (re)produce the Pashtun ideological and cultural perspective in communication.

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