Ukazh: Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Bahasa dan Sastra Arab

Politeness Principles in Online Political Discourse: A Pragmatic Analysis of YouTube Comments on the Turkish President’s Speech

Ahmad Zaki — 2026-06-30

This study investigates linguistic politeness in YouTube comments responding to the Turkish President’s speech at the Palestine Solidarity Rally, as published on the TRT Arabi YouTube channel. As social media increasingly serves as a space for political discourse, studies examining linguistic politeness in online political interactions remain limited. Therefore, this study aims to identify the forms of linguistic politeness employed in the comments and examine their role in constructing political solidarity in digital communication. This study employs a qualitative descriptive approach using Geoffrey Leech’s Politeness Principle as its theoretical framework. The data consist of linguistic expressions found in comments posted on the TRT Arabi YouTube channel and were collected through the non-participatory observation method. The data were analyzed through qualitative linguistic analysis based on Leech’s politeness theory. The findings reveal that 105 comments comply with Leech’s politeness principles, comprising one instance of the modesty maxim, ten of the tact maxim, twenty-one of the agreement maxim, twenty-eight of the sympathy maxim, and forty-five of the approbation maxim. The results indicate that linguistic politeness in comments on the TRT Arabi YouTube channel contributes to the construction of positive discourse surrounding the President of Turkey and represents widespread support for the Palestinian struggle. This study argues that linguistic politeness functions not only as an implementation of social norms but also as a political strategy for fostering collective cohesion in digital spaces.

Constructing Character and Narrative Structure through Illocutionary Speech Acts: A Pragmatic Study of Muḥammad Fatḥī ʿAbd al-ʿĀl's Aqdām ʿalā Jisr al-Shawk

M. Iqbal Fathoni — 2026-06-30

This study examines the functions of illocutionary speech acts employed by the main character, Na‘īm, in the drama script Aqdām ʿalā Jisr al-Shawk by Muḥammad Fatḥī ʿAbd al-ʿĀl. This study is significant because utterances in drama not only convey meaning but also represent communicative actions that shape characterization and plot development. The study employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive method. The data consisted of the main character's utterances, which were collected through non-participant observation and analyzed using John Searle's theory of illocutionary speech acts through processes of classification and interpretation. The findings revealed 20 illocutionary speech act functions encompassing representative, expressive, directive, commissive, and declarative categories. Among these, the representative function was the most dominant, particularly the function of stating, which occurred 17 times. This predominance indicates that Naʿīm is constructed as the central character who plays a crucial role in conveying ideas, expressing attitudes, and driving dramatic conflict through speech acts. The findings further demonstrate that illocutionary functions not only shape the dynamics of communication among characters but also contribute to character construction and the narrative structure of the drama. This study enriches literary pragmatics by extending the application of illocutionary speech act theory to modern Arabic drama and provides an analytical foundation for future studies on characterization, dramatic discourse, and communicative meaning in Arabic literary texts.

Lexical Cohesion in Arabic Reading Texts: A Systemic Functional Analysis of a Grade X Madrasah ʿĀliyah Textbook

Muhammad Yazid Yaskur — 2026-06-30

Lexical cohesion constitutes one of the linguistic resources that contributes to the construction of discourse coherence through semantic relations among lexical units. From the perspective of text linguistics, lexical cohesion is understood as a linguistic mechanism that establishes topical continuity and semantic integration within a text. This study aims to map the distribution of lexical cohesion devices in Grade X Arabic reading texts used in Madrasah ʿĀliyah based on the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The study employed a quantitative descriptive approach using content analysis techniques. The research data consisted of eight reading texts taken from the Grade X Arabic textbook published by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The analysis was conducted through the stages of identification, classification, quantification, and description of five lexical cohesion devices: repetition, synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, and collocation. The findings reveal that lexical cohesion is predominantly realized through repetition, accounting for 75.7%, followed by collocation at 14.56% and hyponymy at 8.25%, whereas synonymy at 0.97% and antonymy at 0.48% occur less frequently. The predominance of repetition indicates that lexical cohesion in the analyzed texts relies mainly on direct lexical recurrence, which functions as an explicit mechanism for maintaining topical continuity and referential consistency throughout the discourse.

Toxic Masculinity as a Mechanism of Patriarchal Control in Family Relations: A Sylvia Walby Perspective on ‘Alā’ Naṣr’s Kānat li-Takūn

Winda Dwika Putri — 2026-06-30

Toxic masculinity is one of the manifestations of the patriarchal system that shapes power relations within the family through male domination over women. This phenomenon is important to examine because it reveals how patriarchal values are reproduced and normalized in family life through various forms of control and social expectations. The analysis to describe how toxic masculinity is represented within the family as a manifestation of the patriarchal system in the novel Kānat li-Takūn by ‘Alā’ Naṣr This research employs a descriptive qualitative method using Sylvia Walby’s patriarchal theory. The data source is the novel Kānat li-Takūn by ‘Alā’ Naṣr. Data were collected through reading and note-taking techniques and analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model by referring to Sylvia Walby’s theory of patriarchy. The findings indicate that toxic masculinity is represented through prohibitions and obligations that regulate family relationships. Prohibitions function as a form of control that restricts individual freedom and mobility, while obligations serve as normative demands that direct behavior according to standards established within the family. Both forms create power relations that position men as the dominant party. These findings demonstrate that toxic masculinity in the novel functions as a mechanism through which patriarchal authority is normalized within family relationships, offering new insights into the representation of patriarchy in contemporary Arabic fiction and broadening discussions of gendered power relations.

Constructing Persuasive Religious Discourse through Muḥassināt Ma’nawiyyah: A Balāghah Analysis of an ‘Īd al-Aḍḥá Sermon Manuscript

Muhammad Riyandi — 2026-06-30

Religious sermons constitute an important medium for conveying Islamic teachings; however, studies examining the rhetorical dimensions of Arabic sermons in the Nusantara context remain limited, particularly regarding muḥassināt ma’nawīyah (semantic embellishments) in balāghah. Investigating these rhetorical devices is important because they contribute to the aesthetic quality, coherence, and persuasive force of religious discourse. Therefore, this study aims to identify the forms of muḥassināt ma’nawīyah employed in the ‘Īd al-Aḍḥá sermon of Tuangku Ibrahim at Surau Sumur Darek, Nagari Taluk, and to analyze their rhetorical functions and meanings. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method using al-Hāshimī’s rhetorical framework. The data source consists of the text of the ‘Īd al-Aḍḥá sermon delivered at Surau Sumur Darek, Nagari Taluk. The analysis reveals 68 instances of muḥassināt ma’nawīyah, comprising al-iftinān, al-irshād, al-idmāj, al-muqābalah, al-ṭibāq, al-madhhab al-kalāmī, al-iqtibās, and murā’āt al-nadhīr. Among these, murā’āt al-nadhīr is the most dominant form, indicating the preacher’s tendency to construct thematic coherence and semantic harmony throughout the sermon. The findings further demonstrate that the use of muḥassināt ma’nawīyah enhances the rhetorical and aesthetic quality of the sermon while strengthening its persuasive dimension. These findings imply that rhetorical strategies can reinforce the delivery of religious messages in Arabic sermon discourse, enabling manuscripts to serve as a medium through which preachers compose religious texts that are often formal and rigid while remaining aesthetically engaging.