Semantic Functions of Parenthetical Sentences in Bayhaghi’s History

Sentences are classified into four main categories in terms of message and content by most grammarians: statement(declarative), interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences ; but these sentences are often used for other functions based on their contextual positions which are rhetorically considered and examined as secondary meanings of sentences in the semantics and in a branch of linguistics known as pragmatics. These types of sentences seem to be structurally extra elements in the context of the main sentences so their omissions do not interfere with the syntactic structure of the sentences and phrases in which they are used. This is considered the reason why their importance and functions have been neglected and have not been dealt with appropriately in the literature. Such sentences are important in terms of discourse analysis, transliteration and narration since they are considered as the position of the narrator's discourse in retelling the narrations. Parenthetical sentences can transform the narrator's position from an impartial and indifferent narrator to an interpreter and even in some cases to an interferer. Dealing with the role and significance of such sentences, analyzing Bayhaghi’s discourse in the historical narrations of these sentences, better understanding the history of Bayhaghi, better understanding the functions of the parenthetical sentences, improving and correcting the mostly inaccurate view points of the rhetoric and syntax experts and helping to make these sentences be considered more appropriately in their main positions are among the purposes of this survey. The results show that these sentences in Bayhaghi's History are not restricted to the sentences used for the sake of the prayer and appositional purposes, contrary to the common sense and perspectives, but rather these sentences are considered to be transnational explanations that are used by the narrator deliberately to interrupt the mainstream of the narration and to present some explanation about the previous episodes. They also illustrate the view points of the narrator (Bayhaghi) and his discourse in this regard. These sentences consist of about 354 sentences that have been located at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the other sentences in different structures such as interpretations, clauses, statements, interrogatives, exclamations, commandment, poetic verses, Persian and Arabic phrases, Quranic verses and so on. These sentences serve to introduce and improve 21 kinds of important functions, in addition to setting up more communication channels to communicate properly with the audience.