Examination and Analysis of Types of Deviation in the Prose of the Sacred Defense Based on Leech's Model

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Ilam, Iran

10.22108/liar.2026.148285.2567

Abstract

Introduction: The Sacred Defense is one of the major multi-layered events in contemporary Iranian history. Due to its meta-normative, tragic, and epic nature, its representation in standard language has faced serious difficulties.



Methodology: Drawing upon Leech's theory of deviation and using a descriptive-analytical method, this study examines types of deviation in 34 prominent works of the Sacred Defense.



Findings: Among 500 extracted samples, semantic deviation with 110 cases (22%), lexical deviation with 90 cases (18%), and stylistic deviation with 75 cases (15%) were the most frequent. These are followed by syntactic (12%), dialectal (10%), temporal (9%), and phonological and graphological deviation (7% each). The aggregate of the first three types (67%) reflects the writers' priority in transforming the deep layers of language.



Discussion and Conclusion: Deviation in these texts is not an escape from rules, but has created a new rule in harmony with the exceptional nature of war and the inexpressible experience. The connection between "the astonishment of the event" and "the breaking of language" constitutes the main stylistic feature of this prose. The prose of the Sacred Defense has transcended mere reportage and achieved an innovative language for representing the lived experience of grandeur and suffering.

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Literary Arts

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 06 September 2026

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