The Pragmatic Functions of Salawāt in the Speeches of Persian-Speaking Iranians and Arabic-Speaking Iraqis

Salawāt upon the Prophet Mohammad and his family is a phrase frequently expressed or heard by Muslims in their daily life. Primarily, salawāt is communicated to admire the Prophet and his family; however, it has secondary pragmatic functions in Muslims’ daily communications and oral speeches. The main question this paper addresses to is what communicative functions salawāt plays in the social interactions of Iranian and Iraqi Shiite Muslims’ and if there is any difference in the functions of salawāt among these two communities. This research is done in the context of linguistic pragmatics and specifically John Searle’s speech acts theory. The research shows that in addition to its locutionary function, salawāt has illocutionary functions, such as directive, expressive, commissive, and declarative, as well. It also shows that the goal behind the directive usage of salawāt is indirectness. In the case of expressive function, the goal is foregrounding emotions. As for commissive function, salawāt helps to sanctify the commitment. In the declarative speech act of salawāt, the purpose is manufacturing consent and drawing attentions.