المجلة الدولية للاتصال الاجتماعي
Volume 13, Numéro 3, Pages 430-445
2026-09-30
A Transitivity-based Analysis Of Hijab Meaning In Algerian Women’s Narratives
Authors : Moulai Hacene Yacine . Benyoucef Radia . Ouali Farida .
Abstract
This study examines how Algerian women construct the meaning of the hijab in narrative discourse using a Systemic Functional Linguistics framework. It analyzes transitivity patterns, sources of authority, and narrative shifts in participants’ accounts. Data were collected through an online questionnaire combining Likert-scale items and open-ended responses. From 311 responses, 48 narratives were selected for qualitative analysis. The findings show a clear predominance of relational processes, indicating that participants mainly define the hijab through identity-based and categorical meanings rather than actions. Divine authority appears as the most frequent source of legitimation, followed by personal authority, while family influence remains limited. More than half of the narratives also show shifts in interpretation, suggesting that meanings are often reconstructed over time. By linking linguistic patterns with authority and narrative development, the study explains how religious meanings are produced and negotiated in everyday discourse across contemporary Muslim societies.
Keywords
Systemic Functional Linguistics ; transitivity ; hijab discourse ; narrative analysis ; identity
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