@article {
author = {Karimnia, Amin and Varzeshi, Reza},
title = {Gravestones as Texts: A Genre Analysis of Tombstones through a Gendered Lens},
journal = {Journal of Edulingual Studies (JES)},
volume = {1},
number = {2},
pages = {1-13},
year  = {2026},
publisher = {Zerodale Academic Press, an Imprint of Zerodale Inc., Toronto, Canada},
issn = {}, 
eissn = {}, 
doi = {10.22034/jes.2026.592064.1012},
abstract = {This study applies Swales’ (2008) genre analysis framework to Iranian tombstone inscriptions, drawing on direct observation of 1,400 gravestones (750 male, 650 female) and integrating qualitative and quantitative structural-semantic move analyses. Linguistically, the findings reveal a striking predominance of Persian poetic metaphors (82.86% of epitaphic content) over direct Quranic verses (4.8%), underscoring cultural-literary traditions rather than strictly religious rhetoric. Syntactically, the Persian ezafe construction encodes paternal lineage on 84% of men's tombstones, while maternal names are entirely absent (0%), grammatically materializing patriarchal descent. The rhetorical structure comprises nine distinct moves, two of which are obligatory: the deceased’s particulars (name/titles) and lifespan (birth/death dates). Additional gendered markers include photographs (44% on men’s stones, 0% on women’s) and explicit paternal name mentions (84% for men, 58.5% for women), further reflecting Iran's male-dominated social norms. By positioning tombstones as communicative artifacts, this study bridges a gap in genre analyses of non-academic texts, offering a nuanced, gendered perspective on how death, identity, and socio-cultural values are discursively memorialized in Iranian society.},
keywords = {Commemorative Practices,Discourse Analysis,Gender Disparities,Genre Analysis,Iranian Culture,rhetorical moves,Tombstone Inscriptions},	
url = {https://www.jesjournal.com/article_247556.html},
eprint = {https://www.jesjournal.com/article_247556_d619ff0ebba8525c18fa47ced0b7bc9b.pdf}
}