A Comparative Stylistic Study of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer through the Lens of Goldberg’s Construction Grammar (CxG)

This study employs a mixed-method, corpus-based approach to investigate the distinct argument structure constructions in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer through the lens of Adele Goldberg’s (۱۹۹۵) Construction Grammar (CxG). A ۱۰,۰۰۰-word corpus from each novel was systematically analyzed using quantitative methods—including frequency counts and log-likelihood ratio tests—and qualitative interpretive techniques to identify and contextualize key constructions such as negative concord, resultative, caused-motion, and ditransitive. The findings reveal that Huckleberry Finn is characterized by a higher prevalence of non-standard, innovative constructions that mirror Huck’s vernacular speech and his experiential, marginal identity. In contrast, Tom Sawyer consistently employs more conventional, formulaic constructions, reflecting its structured, culturally mediated narrative style. These differences underscore the cognitive mechanisms of entrenchment, schema formation, and usage-based learning, which underlie the distinct narrative voices in Twain’s work. By integrating cognitive linguistics with literary analysis, this study not only highlights how constructional choices shape character identity and thematic depth but also provides a replicable framework for future interdisciplinary research. Overall, the results advance our understanding of Twain’s stylistic innovation and demonstrate the utility of CxG in elucidating the complex interplay between language form and literary meaning.

کلیدواژه ها:

Construction Grammar ، Literary Style ، Argument Structure ، Mark Twain ، Narrative Voice