Linguistic Standardization and Cultural Power in Persian Editorial Discourse: A Critical Analysis Using a Library-Based Approach (Based on Norman Fairclough’s Three-Level Model)

akram mobaraki¹

1) Law student of Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz Branch, Iran, researcher in the field of scientific police and criminal investigation.

IOI Code : ABDE-ABAHFG
Publication : 6th International Conference on Advanced Research in Management And Humanities(huconf.com)
Abstract :
    This study adopts a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach, based on Norman Fairclough’s three-level model, to examine the linguistic and cultural mechanisms operating in Persian editorial discourse. The aim is to explain how concepts such as “correct writing,” “standard language,” and “official culture” are represented in educational and theoretical editorial sources, and how these representations contribute to the reproduction of power relations and cultural boundaries. The purpose of this research is to elucidate the relationship between editing and the reproduction of cultural power in Iran, to analyze the ways in which the concepts of correct writing and standard language are represented in editorial training texts, and to identify the linguistic values and ideologies embedded in editorial discourse. The present study is conducted using a descriptive–analytical (library-based) method and seeks to answer the following four research questions: How does Persian editorial discourse represent the concepts of standard language and correct writing? What cultural values and ideologies underlie these representations? What semantic and evaluative oppositions (e.g., correct/incorrect, formal/colloquial) are reproduced in editorial sources? How does the editor function as a cultural agent in the production of meaning and power? To address these questions, the research data were collected through the compilation and examination of Persian editorial textbooks and style guides. The data were analyzed using a Critical Discourse Analysis framework based on Fairclough’s theoretical model. In this analysis, Fairclough’s three proposed levels—text, discursive practice, and social practice—were employed to identify patterns of linguistic and cultural representation, evaluate underlying values and ideologies, and examine the role of the editor as a cultural agent. The anticipated findings suggest that editing is not limited to the correction of linguistic errors; rather, through its emphasis on correct writing and the standard language, it plays a significant role in reproducing official cultural values and hegemonic norms. These representations transmit linguistic and cultural capital to audiences and demonstrate that the editor, as an active agent, participates in shaping linguistic and cultural norms and in stabilizing the semantic and evaluative boundaries of society. Such an analysis, in addition to clarifying the linguistic and cultural mechanisms of editorial discourse, can serve as a guide for training editors who are aware of the cultural and social dimensions of their work. It also highlights the importance of critically analyzing educational resources and style guides in understanding power relations and the ideologies embedded in language. This study ultimately seeks, through a critical perspective, to reassess the position of the editor as a cultural agent.

Keywords : critical discourse analysis standard language cultural power linguistic ideology fairclough’s three level model