Forming Mental and Context Models: Applying Sociolinguistic Tools to Understand Fiction

Abstract

The study, takes up John Steinbeck's The Pearl as one of the case by applying the socio-cognitive model of Van Dijk's theory of critical discourse analysis. CDA is used here as a tool to analyze and study the novel. Besides the use of selected CDA tool in understanding the formation and development of cognitive models from within the text, this paper also relates the findings with the overarching themes of resistance, exploitation, and counter-efforts against the ruling elite or ruling capitalists. The primary objective of this study is to understand and evaluate how context and mental models, as per theoretical disposition by van Dijk, are formed in fiction. The researchers have found that various mental and context models have been formed within the text using different strategies and tools at sentential level. This work concludes the ways in which language is used to varying degrees to exploit, resist and manipulate one another in society. Such sociolinguistic tools can also be applied in other narratives for better and detailed understanding.