GENDERED LANGUAGE AND POWER DYNAMICS IN BANGLADESHI DIGITAL MATRIMONIAL DISCOURSE: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC FACEBOOK GROUP POSTS

Abstract

The paper analyses the language of marriage posts that are exchanged on the public Bangladeshi Facebook groups using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and pragmatic theory. Grounded on a purposively selected corpus of 20 posts, counting 10 bride-seeking posts and 10 groom-seeking posts gathered in lively Bangladeshi matrimonial Facebook groups, the research discovers the concurrent production and stimulation of gender, power, class, faith, colourism, and migration objectives in digital marital language. Using the three-dimensional CDA model by Fairclough (1992) and Politeness Theory of Brown and Levinson (1987) and Searle (1969) Speech Act Theory and Van Dijk (1998) Ideological Square, one can find out that matrimonial Facebook posts represent a multi-voiced, multi-layered discursive space where patriarchal norms are reproduced They report five major findings: (i) systematic gendering of credentialling language with the most of women being defined by physical and relational traits whilst men are being defined in terms of professional credentials and future potential; (ii) the widespread entrenchment of colourism ideology in complexion vocabulary; (iii) a strong asymmetry in the linguistic management of divorce stigma between men and women; (iv) the strategic use of self-posting The paper has added to the under-researched interplay between South Asian digital discourse and gender linguistics and Islamic matrimonial culture, and (v) the increasing entanglement of matrimonial language and migration aspiration among educated Bangladeshis.  The study contributes to the under-researched intersection of South Asian digital discourse, gender linguistics, and Islamic matrimonial culture, offering a replicable analytical model for future research on digital matrimonial discourse in the Global South.