Pragmalinguistic Aspect of Some Ottoman Documents

Abstract

The paper analyses Ottoman documents (firmans and petitions) from the pragmalinguistic aspect. This enabled an insight into demonstration of (sultan's) power by breaking the modesty maxim, by the use of directives and personal pronoun for the second person singular, but it also made that same power relative by putting emphasis on the belief in God. We find prominence given to God also in documents in the West, which shows a similarity in the hierarchy vertical.

On the other side are petitions/applications sent to the Sultan (and then to other government officials) trying at every step to pay respect to the ruler (by using honorifics) and equally to humiliate the addresser.

Although these documents, as part of administrative style, possess a high degree of schematism, they also all have figurativeness as expressive- emotional features.