Embodied Narration in Naqqali: Exploring Body Movement through a Cognitive Linguistics Lens—A Case Study of Torabi's Performance in 'Sohrab's Demise'

Body movement is a controversial topic in multimodal narration analysis. Gesture, according to David McNeill (1994), is an integral part of speech, performing a crucial function, in the organization of thought into language. However in Farsi, due to the lack of consistent methodology in the field of gesture studies, most works have focused on verbal narration and a few number have addressed types and functions of gesture in oral narratives. This research, based on Cornelia Müller's framework of Methods for Gesture Analysis (MGA) argues how Naqqal may deploy bodily articulations to provide meaning to the event narrated in Naqqali. For this purpose, the scene of the second wrestle between Rustam and Sohrab was chosen from the recorded performance of “Sohrab's Demise” by Master Vali-o- Allah Torabi, an acclaimed Naqqal of Iran. The performance took place at a traditional coffeehouse (2009). The storyline is about how Rustam managed to defeat Sohrab and stabbed him while not realizing that they are father and son. Considering McNeill style gesture notation, gestures performed alongside speech were divided into 24 gesture phrases and six gesture units within two minutes and thirty seconds. Then the selected fragments were transcribed. Aspects of Kinesic form of the deployed articulators in gestural space were distinguished. Afterwards based on the embodied meaning of the actions each gesture unit was analyzed into three classifications: pointing gestures, depictive gestures, and pragmatic gestures.Our first encounter with this scene shows that the most important aspect of this performance is representation. More precisely, 18 out of the 24 gesture phrases performed, relate to the depiction of Rustam and Sohrab Wrestling. Second, the timing of gesture corresponds with what Naqqal wants to emphasize. For example, the narrator's posture is outlined through vertical orientation (1ʹ:33"), yet he narrates the last part with the least movement and lies on the ground horizontally (57"). Also, the focal emphasis in co-speech gestures draws the audience's attention to specific semantic aspects of the narrative: apart from showing Rustam gaining the upper hand in the second wrestle, the story tells us that the defeat of Sohrab is due to fate. In this respect, gestures compound the idea of "The wheel of fortune" metaphorically (e.g. G8). This gesture is the most complex one in terms of bodily articulators involved in the depiction of action (hands, head, gaze and upper body) as well. It challenges the audience with semantically reaching the point of the abstract concept. As the narration of the Naqqal reaches its climax, before the moment of Sohrab's death, the the gestures increase and the imitative gestures even replace the speech at that point. During such turn, only the demonstrative pronouns accompany quick descriptive gestures in the performance (e.g. G18-19). This essay applied descriptive tools from (MGA) to reveal facets of multimodal interaction in the style of master Torabi’s works. Further research is needed to extend the analytic scope to understand complexity of gesture and speech in Naqqali.