Studying the Face of Women in Iranian Cinema of the 90s based on Culpepper’s Theory of Impoliteness

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 MA. Department of English Language and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, English Language Department,, Faculty of Arts, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

3 associate Professor, Department of English Language and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and, Humanities Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

Abstract

This study examines how women's faces are attacked in 1990s Iranian cinema through the lens of Culpepper’s theory of impoliteness (1996, 2011). The research has three primary objectives. The first is to identify the types of verbal impoliteness directed at women. The second is to explore how the social context shapes verbal impoliteness against women. The third is to analyze how patterns of verbal impoliteness either reinforce or challenge the patriarchal system. Given the reciprocal relationship between cinema and society, 1990s Iranian cinema was chosen as a medium that reflects the socio-cultural conditions of women in contemporary Iran. The findings reveal that among the five patterns of verbal impoliteness, positive and negative impoliteness were the most prevalent, with positive impoliteness mainly targeting middle- and upper-class women, and negative impoliteness directed at lower-class women. Additionally, some films from this period reinforced the status quo, while others offered a critique of it.

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Linguistic Studies: Theory and Practice
Volume 3, Issue 4 - Serial Number 8
Winter 2025
December 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 August 2024
  • Revise Date: 13 October 2024
  • Accept Date: 13 October 2024

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