The present study aims to investigate the historical and discursive origins of the so-called “mother tongue” and its opposition to the “national language” within the framework of language policy. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. In the qualitative phase, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is applied to examine the data, while in the quantitative phase, statistical content analysis is utilized. The dataset consists of 300 texts, including media statements by officials and official documents produced in Iran, purposefully collected through library research from 2013 to 2024. Findings indicate that the dominant discourse highlights and institutionalizes the national language based on a monolingual ideology, while simultaneously marginalizing other languages under the label of “mother tongue.This opposition at the micro level is not merely rooted in purely linguistic factors; rather, at the macro level, it is intertwined with extralinguistic factors such as power relations, discursive dominance, and the ideology of the standard language in language policy, contributing to the exclusion and suppression of other languages from official domains.
Mohammadi, A. (2025). A The Historical Construction of the Term “Mother Tongue” and Its Opposition to “National Language” in Language Policy. Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, (), -. doi: 10.22124/plid.2025.30852.1718
MLA
Mohammadi, A. . "A The Historical Construction of the Term “Mother Tongue” and Its Opposition to “National Language” in Language Policy", Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, , , 2025, -. doi: 10.22124/plid.2025.30852.1718
HARVARD
Mohammadi, A. (2025). 'A The Historical Construction of the Term “Mother Tongue” and Its Opposition to “National Language” in Language Policy', Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22124/plid.2025.30852.1718
CHICAGO
A. Mohammadi, "A The Historical Construction of the Term “Mother Tongue” and Its Opposition to “National Language” in Language Policy," Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, (2025): -, doi: 10.22124/plid.2025.30852.1718
VANCOUVER
Mohammadi, A. A The Historical Construction of the Term “Mother Tongue” and Its Opposition to “National Language” in Language Policy. Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, 2025; (): -. doi: 10.22124/plid.2025.30852.1718
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