A critical discourse analysis of "Ghamarozamaan and Gohar" a story from One Thousand and One Nights relying on Van Dijk's ideological square theory

Folktales of One Thousand and One Nights (Hezaar O Yek Shab) are the recreation of real world which present the real image of several dominant discourses in communities in the atmosphere away from the considerations of historical texts. Hence, critical discourse analysis provides an opportunity to analyze the overt and covert layers of thoughts of actors and anonymous narrators of this literary work. In the current research the tale Ghamarozamaan and Gohar is chosen from One Thousand and One Nights collection and is reviewed using descriptive analytical method relying on Van Dijk's ideological square theory and the result of the research expresses the presence of triple discourses (religion, violence, aristocracy) in a romantic story. The study and analysis of linguistic arrangements of the story at the level of meaning, syntax and rhetoric, self and other polarization reveals the story and how the narrator introduces Egypt superior to Basra in the format of a romantic story. This approach weakens the discourse of love under the influence of focusing on the discourse of power. Even in some cases, it reduces to be a Hegemonic tool.
Keywords: One Thousand and One Nights, Ghamarozamaan and Gohar, critical discourse analysis, ideological Square, Van Dijk
Introduction
The story of Ghamarozamaan and Gohar is one of the relatively long narratives within the folktales of "One Thousand and One Nights". The present research seeks to explore the overt and covert ideological layers of the folktale. By using a critical discourse analysis approach from a social perspective, the research aims to examine how the discourses of romance and ideology coexist and compete within the narrative. To this end, the study adopts the theory of the ideological square in order to gain a clear understanding of the representation of 'self' and 'other' within the story. Through lens, the research seeks to demonstrate how the text, by employing specific linguistic strategies within a romantic narrative framework, aims to highlight and legitimize the ideology of a particular group while simultaneously marginalizing opposing ideologies and, in effect, certain social class or group.             
Materials and Method
From a critical discourse analysis perspective, ideology is inherently linked to power. According to this point of view we can find how ideology is developing a tendency toward hegemonic discourse by analysing the text.
Van Dijk’s ideological square theory offers a framework for understanding how texts construct and maintain these power dynamics through four sides of the square strategies: Emphasizing positive points of the in-group (self), Emphasizing negative points of the out-group (other), Downplaying negative points of the in-group (self), Downplaying positive points of the out-group (other).
Linguistic strategies play a crucial role in amplifying or diminishing the sides of the square at various textual levels. In the present story linguistic strategies amplified dominant discourse in three levels of semantic, syntax and rhetoric. The semantic level in the lexical layers through deixis, codes and marked words, as well as the descriptive strategy connecting language to the encoder's mentality and the context of the text, emphasizes the intended discourse. At the syntactic level, the function of the modality is noteworthy in understanding the ideology and hidden viewpoints of the text. Additionally, the length of the sentences allows the speaker to influence the audience's pause time and, consequently, the text's persuasion. Another level is rhetoric, which affects emotions and feelings, encouraging the audience to accept the discourse.
Discussion &    result:
The story at the semantic level, with the high frequency of the symbolic structure of religious institution and the alignment and connection of this symbolic system as a linguistic element with the intellectual structure and context, reinforces the ideological discourse of power. At this level, spatial and social indicators also support the central ideological discourse of the text namely, the religious and social superiority of the self over the other.
Additionally, the story depicts the social system of Basra and Egypt by using two groups of marked and high-frequency words. The first group of words grants social status and prestige to the story actors, derived from material and economic power, while the second group of words displays violence. Thus the power combined with violence diminishes the romantic atmosphere of the story. Description with the other levels of meaning supports the ideology of 'self' by presenting desired details.
In the level of syntax, the conditional mood with high frequency contributes to discourse of power, violence, and deception. In many parts of story, according to the descriptive strategy, the positive traits of the 'self' and the negative traits of the 'other' take on a declarative mood, and sometimes the declarative mood is used to reconstruct power and violence. The subjunctive mood, through the use of subjunctive verbs, has become more prominent, strengthening the discourse of power-seeking and continuing to compare the two societies of Egypt and Basra. The subjunctive mood, through verbs and sentences, portrays powerful image of the father of Ghamarozamaan in the position of the "Egyptian merchant." Short sentences make unsettled, bustling, and deceptive atmosphere, and along with the other linguistic strategies, push the discourse of Romance to the margins.
The story of Ghamarozamaan and Gohar is narrated far from imaginative depictions, and the level of rhetoric primarily serves a descriptive function, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the two poles of self and the other.
Conclusion:
The story of Ghamarozamaan and Gohar, from among the four sides of Van dijk's ideological square, is primarily built upon the side of highlighting the weakness of the other. Religion, violence, and aristocracy are the three main discourses in the story, revolving around the axis of displaying Egypt's power, while the discourse of Romance, in the context of comparing Egypt and Basra, fades to the point of becoming a tool, and serves the ideological discourse.