Language Studies

Interrogation Discourse in Iranian Cinema: The Role of Presupposition and Verbal Threats in the Confession-Elicitation Process

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research original ,Regular Article

Authors

حسین رحمانی 1
Mojhgan Chegeni 2

1 Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, faculty of Humanities and Foreign Languages, University of Payam-e-Noor, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran

10.30465/ls.2026.52875.2218
Abstract
This research, within the framework of forensic linguistics and utilizing two complementary approaches—Gibbons' (2008) typology of interrogation questions and Yule's (1996) theory of presupposition—analyzes the discourse of interrogation. The scope of this study is the representation of interrogation discourse in Iranian cinema, and its data are gathered from interrogation scenes in the film "Metri Shesh-o Nim" (6.5 Per Meter). The results indicate that the represented defendants in the film are aware of presupposition techniques and, by systematically rejecting them, block the path to a quick confession. This compels the interrogators to rely on verbal threats as an ultimate strategy. Statistically, declarative questions, which contain greater discursive pressure, were the most frequently used type of question. Furthermore, open questions were employed not with the aim of obtaining new information, but primarily to confirm the interrogator's pre-established presuppositions. By focusing on the cinematic representation of interrogation, purely linguistic threats, and the integration of the two aforementioned theoretical frameworks, this research represents a novel step in Persian studies in this field.

Keywords

Forensic Linguistics
Interrogator
Defendant
Threat
Yule’s Theory of Presupposition

Subjects

Language Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 February 2026

  • Receive Date 15 September 2025
  • Revise Date 09 February 2026
  • Accept Date 10 February 2026

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us