PRAGMATIC STRATEGIES AND COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTIONS IN AFANDI AND ROBIN HOOD NARRATIVES

Abstract

Abstract. Folklore narratives across different cultures often serve not only as entertainment but also as instruments of social critique, moral instruction, and pragmatic communication. This article explores pragmatic strategies and communicative functions in two culturally significant narrative traditions: the Eastern figure of Afandi (Nasreddin Hodja) and the Western legend of Robin Hood. Although these characters emerge from distinct historical and cultural environments, both function as symbolic agents of social justice, resistance to authority, and moral reasoning through humor, irony, and strategic communication. The study applies pragmatic theories such as speech act theory, relevance theory, and politeness theory to examine how meaning is constructed beyond literal language. It also analyzes how humor, satire, indirectness, and contextual inference are used to convey deeper social messages.