pragmatics

Speech act theory is a significant issue in comprehending the intricate dynamics of human communication, acting as a guiding light in understanding how language is used to perform actions beyond the literal meanings of words. While traditional frameworks have presented valuable perceptions in classifying speech acts, the evolving nature of communication requires reconsidering and expanding these conventional approaches. The researchers of the current study proposed an innovative framework for speech act classifications, one that exceeds traditional boundaries and embraces the nuanced complexities of modern discourse. Based on seminal works by Austin (1962) and Searle (1969), and also by considering important research by Grice (1975), Levinson (1983), and emerging perspectives represented by Verschueren (1999) and Sbisa (2002), the researchers of this study critically assess current classifications, identifying essential challenges and opportunities in speech act analysis. The proposed framework introduces other categories such as Metaplocutionary Acts, Interlocutionary Acts, and Negotiation Acts, offering a more comprehensive and context-sensitive approach to understanding speech acts. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and empirical validation, the researchers of this study aim to refine and apply this framework across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, thereby paving the way for a more nuanced and dynamic comprehension of human communication.

Various articles have addressed the field of audiovisual translation and its related issues, but the pragmatic aspects of this area have not been addressed as they should be. As pragmatic issues are mainly covert in dialogues, and films are dialogue-oriented, it is crucial to consider these aspects in this area. Implicature is one of these hidden aspects of meaning which challenges the translators’ knowledge and competency. Sometimes ignoring this pragmatic aspect results in misinterpreting the intended meaning of the original version, whether it is a text or a film. Therefore, the present study intends to examine the translation of implicatures and their intricacies in Persian dubbing. To this end, four American films (Notting hill, The bucket list, The ultimate gift and Still Alice) were selected, all of which had been dubbed into Persian. All parts of these films were analyzed to determine whether there is any mismatch between original and dubbed versions in terms of this pragmatic aspect. The translation techniques and their frequency of occurrences which were applied to translate this pragmatic aspect are illustrated too. The results indicate that there are mismatches between the original and dubbed versions in terms of implicature, and the most frequent number of mismatches refers to scalar implicatures. Conventional and conversational implicatures follow it respectively. Moreover, deletion is the most frequent translation strategy which was applied to render this pragmatic aspect.