لیلا زارع

Extensive studies on Iranian architecture have been conducted since the late Qajar period. However, many aspects remain unexplored. One of the main challenges in this field is the lack of a systematic approach to architectural analysis. Most previous research has been descriptive, focusing on the physical characteristics of buildings. Yet architecture goes beyond its physical elements; it consists of complex structures that require theoretical and conceptual analysis. As a tool for understanding architecture, the theory allows for a deeper examination of structures, meanings, and cultural transformations. Since the 1960s, linguistics has emerged as a significant architectural theory paradigm due to the renewed focus on meaning in architecture. Language and architecture are manifestations of culture—while language reflects culture, it also organizes other cultural domains. The structural similarities between language and architecture have led architects and theorists to adopt linguistic theories for "understanding architecture" and finding "design solutions." This article approaches architecture as a language and, inspired by how linguists study language through various approaches, proposes methodologies for the "understanding of architecture." It draws on Ferdinand de Saussure's classification, particularly the synchronic approach, which analyzes language at a specific moment. The scope of this research is centered on the applications of the synchronic approach in understanding Iranian architecture. Through a comparative study of linguistic and architectural methodologies, the article demonstrates how synchronic linguistic concepts and methods can be applied to analyze Iranian architecture's structures, meanings, and spatial systems, contributing to developing a theoretical model for its study.