A Study of Prominent Lexical Components Proposed by Lakoff in the Novels of Shiva Arastui and Simin Daneshvar, with a Special Focus on Taboo Words, Color Words, and Oath Words

In recent years, interdisciplinary studies in Literature and Linguistics have gained momentum, particularly focusing on topics such as “masculine literature,” “feminine literature,” “masculine writing,” and “feminine writing,” which have captured the attention of researchers. These studies primarily explore the relationship between language and gender. Within this context, the analysis of linguistic features related to gender becomes instrumental in the stylistic examination of women’s literary works, especially novels. This research investigates the linguistic disparities in terms of prominent lexical components between female and male characters in the novels of Daneshvar and Arastui using a descriptive-analytical approach. The main research question is as follows: How do linguistic differences between women and men manifest in terms of lexical components within the narrative structure of Daneshvar’s and Arastui’s novels? The findings indicate that the language employed by female characters in the narrative contexts of these novels differ in terms of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions from that of male characters. While some lexical parameters correspond to Lakoff’s linguistic features, others deviate from them. As all four novels are penned by women and revolve around female experiences, there is a notable prevalence of women-specific vocabulary. Another characteristic of women’s language in these novels is the utilization of precise and detailed imagery, along with inclusion of multiple color words. The female characters of both novelists, influenced by their lack of confidence resulting from patriarchal societies, employ more hedges, intensifiers, and approximations. Additionally, they opt for polite language in their conversations, avoiding the use of taboo words and oath words, which reflects linguistic structures used by cautious and subordinate speakers.