The Speaker in the Prose of Sharif al-Murtada: A Study in Function and Meaning

After completing this study, a number of key findings emerged, which can be summarized as follows: 1- The study revealed the multiplicity of speaker figures in Sharif al-Murtada's prose and the diversity of their functions, ranging from spoken discourse to personal and literary discourse. This reflects the breadth of their engagement and the variety of their roles within the text. 2- The analysis demonstrated that the artistic structure in Sharif al-Murtada's texts relied on the effective use of several expressive devices and rhetorical techniques. These contributed to achieving textual cohesion and internal rhythm, and enhanced the clarity and precision of the meanings. 3- The texts we examined demonstrate that Sharif al-Murtada's discourse is based on a coherent argumentative structure that combines rational reasoning with the use of religious texts. It progresses through the presentation of evidence and the discussion of objections, culminating in conclusions that aim to persuade and compel the opponent. 4- The pragmatic approach reveals that Sharif al-Murtada's speaker did not merely present meanings, but also sought to guide the audience and engage them in the communicative process through a range of rhetorical mechanisms that enhanced the effectiveness of communication and influenced the reception process. 5- The analysis revealed that the founding, dialectical, and critical self are integrated in constructing a coherent and effective discourse. This integration contributes to establishing meaning, managing dialogue, and evaluating opinions, thus making the speaking self a central axis in shaping the discourse and directing its overall course. 6- It was possible to identify the narrator's ability, as employed by Al-Sharif Al-Murtada, to construct narrative accounts and direct their meanings through the diversification of narrative techniques, the utilization of temporal shifts, and the effective use of spatial settings in accordance with the nature of the events and characters. This imbued the accounts with artistic vitality and semantic efficacy. 7- The results confirmed that Sharif al-Murtada did not merely transmit texts, but actively engaged with them, contributing to clarifying their meanings, guiding their understanding, and evaluating related opinions through his functions of explanation, commentary, and weighing of evidence. 8- The study highlighted Sharif al-Murtada's possession of critical and linguistic tools that enabled him to discuss texts, scrutinize narratives, evaluate opinions, and analyze meanings. This was linked to the intellectual diversity afforded to him by the cultural environment in Baghdad, which was reflected in the richness of his discourse and the depth of his intellectual and literary treatments. 9- The research concluded that Sharif al-Murtada's various speaker styles, despite their differing functions and spheres of influence, complement each other in constructing a discourse that combines explanation, persuasion, and influence, revealing a profound awareness of the mechanisms of discourse and the methods of meaning production. 10- This is evident in Al-Sharif Al-Murtada's statement "If it is said, we say" which exemplifies a dialogic style based on anticipating a question and providing an answer to it. This syntactic formulation recurs frequently throughout his works.