Lexical Choices In Unveiling The Cultural Identities And Power Dynamics In Manto’S The New Constitution

Abstract

The exceptional interplay of language, cultural identities and power dynamics is accentuated in various narratives to depict the true socio-cultural picture of the society particularly in the colonial and post-colonial literature. Sadat Hasan Manto has always unraveled the power dynamics of colonial India, giving vent to the marginalized voices but in combining all these unique features, he never forgets to make the cultural identity eternal through his exceptional masterpieces. The New Constitution is one of his unprecedented works in which he has assimilated the cultural identity and power dynamics by showing it through a lay man, Mangu who is a Tongawala. The deliberate linguistic variations in the narrative of the story has heightened the depiction of socio-cultural contexts with an implicit critique of the prevailing power structures. This study aims to reveal all the linguistic choices which have delineated cultural identity and power dynamics disguised in the language of the story. The theoretical lens of Labov's theory of linguistic variation has been employed to examine the linguistic choices of Manto's The New Constitution which probes the cultural positioning, social positions, social status and cultural backgrounds of the characters and Foucault's lens of power dynamics and assertive resistance enriched the unveiling of the colonial social stratification and power dynamics that develops from the hierarchy between English and indigenous languages.  in the story. The blending of these two theories will surely highlight language use to unveil cultural identity and power dynamics in the colonial discourses with an innovative and unique framework.

Key words:   Cultural identity, prevailing power dynamics, lexical choices, colonial era, social stratification, and, indigenous identity constructs.