07 Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure of Female Characters in "A thousand Splendid Suns"

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to examine Khaled Hosseini’s novel "A thousand Splendid Suns" from the socio-linguistic perspective of “cross cultural pragmatic failure”. “Pragma-linguistic failure” is only language specific as Mariam, an outcast and illegitimate child, is not able to learn and understand the language of society. She knows the few words which are spoken by Jalil, her father, Nana her mother, Mullah Faizullah her Quran tutor and Bibi jo. E.g. Mariam is not able to understand the word ‘gramophone’ because in her isolated life she has not seen or heard about the Gramophone.  “Socio-Pragmatic failure” is caused by ignorance of culture: in the novel Mariam is not able to understand the meaning of “harami” until she is transferred to the culture of legitimate people.