Contemporary Persian Literature

The Role of "Grammatically Incongruous Combinations" in Dehkhoda's Charand Parand

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

mahmoud mehravaran 1
Mohammad Hossein Rawan Bakhsh 2

1 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature, Qom University, Qom, Iran.

2 PhD in Persian language and literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Qom Qom, Iran. Journalist..

https://doi.org/10.30465/copl.2025.51793.4279
Abstract
In addition to its political and social impact on Iranian history, the Constitutional Era marks an important period in the simplification of Persian prose and literary texts. The press of that time, especially the newspaper Sur-e Esrafil and its satirical column Charand Parand, played a significant role in this transformation.
This article examines the function of grammatically incongruous combinations in Dehkhoda’s writings within the Charand Parand series in Sur-e Esrafil.
These satirical texts are rich in linguistic innovation, one of the most notable aspects being the creative use of grammatically incongruous combinations. These are structures that, while inconsistent with the syntactic or semantic norms of standard Persian, are employed deliberately within a humorous framework to enhance the critical, ironic, and satirical tones of the work.
This article presents and analyzes examples of such combinations that deviate from standard language in terms of syntax, semantics, or both.
It demonstrates how these linguistic deviations, which often reflect elements of colloquial speech, serve as effective tools for conveying social and political satire.
By disrupting conventional linguistic logic, these combinations surprise the reader and provoke laughter or reflection.
Moreover, the study shows that the use of these combinations contributed to the simplification of prose and helped bridge the gap between written and spoken language, making them a transformative element in the evolution of modern Persian prose.

Keywords

Dehkhoda
Charand Parand
grammatically incongruous combinations
satirical language
norm deviation
syntactic structure
Subjects
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Contemporary Persian Literature
Volume 15, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
November 2025
Pages 201-233

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