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Volume 18, December 2024
ISSN: 1562-269X
Volume 18, December 2024
Current Issue
Sociological Observation of Bangladeshi Wedding Invitation Cards: Content and Semiotic Analysis
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Volume 18, December 2024
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.59146/SSP.v18i1.7535
Abstract
The history of wedding invitation cards in Bengali culture spans more than two hundred years (Barman, 2024). The invitation card is a relatively new addition compared to other accessories of wedding rituals and formalities. Over this long historical period, the presentation of messages and linguistic strategies in wedding invitations has changed with shifts in time and culture. Similarly, the materials, components, and accompaniments of invitation cards have also changed. This article observes the general structure of wedding invitations in Bengali culture and society, explaining the communicative purpose and socio-cultural representation of messages through an inspection of the content of invitation cards, their linguistic elements, and symbolic expressions. The study also examines the influence of socio-cultural aspects and their reciprocal effects on the overall structure of wedding invitations, as reflected in their messages, language, and signs. The study has been conducted following a qualitative research methodology. In this research, one hundred (100) wedding invitation cards were collected by purposive sampling. The contents of these wedding invitation cards have been analyzed by content analysis; the textual parts have been examined by the textual analysis method. Semiotic theory and color theory helped in analyzing the symbolic elements and colors of the invitation cards. The findings reflect aspects of Bengali culture, social conditions, the impact of cultural aggression, linguistic representation strategies, religious influence, and gender dominance, as analyzed through the language, pictorial symbols, signs, and colors of the sampled materials
Keywords:
Wedding invitation cards, Language and signs of invitation cards, Linguistic and semiotic representation, Social semiotics, Bengali culture, impact of cultural aggression