Intonation and the Authority of Meaning Toward a Pragmatic Understanding of the Illocutionary Force in Speech Acts Imam ʿAlī’s (peace be upon him) Letter to Mālik al-Ashtar as a Model

Abstract

This study examines the mechanisms through which the authority of meaning is constructed in discourse by focusing on two principal elements: intonation and the illocutionary act. The analysis proceeds from the fundamental hypothesis that meaning is not derived solely from linguistic structure, but rather produced within a network of interactions that include context, situation, speaker position, and the authority of the discourse founder.

The illocutionary act is treated here as a linguistic practice with real effects whose efficacy depends on the legitimacy of the speaker — the founder of discourse — and his position within the hierarchical structure of the text. Thus, the utterance itself becomes a social act with direct pragmatic consequences.

On the other hand, intonation is viewed as a supra-segmental phonetic component that contributes to the realization of communicative intentions and activates the illocutionary dimension of speech. The musicality of speech — its vocal tone and rhythm — allows for the differentiation of discourse functions such as command, warning, or guidance, even in the absence of explicit verbal markers.

This analytical perspective is applied to Imam ʿAlī’s (peace be upon him) Letter to Mālik al-Ashtar, which represents a complex rhetorical example in which religious and political authority intersect. Language in this text functions as an instrument of guidance, persuasion, and the framing of authority. The study demonstrates how the illocutionary structure interacts with intonation to enhance the authority of speech and construct its dialogic and social effects.

Accordingly, the discourse is understood not only as an informative practice but as an authoritative one that restructures the social order through linguistic and phonetic tools. This calls for the adoption of a pragmatic–phonetic approach that integrates intonation, structure, function, and context.