JOSUGA: JOS JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES

This study pioneers cognitive stylistic analysis in Nigerian short fiction, demonstrating how mind style and cognitive framing function in two selected short stories: “The Whispering Trees” and “Closure” from Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s collection, The Whispering Trees. Drawing on Fowler’s theory of mind style and Gavins’ text world theory, the study investigates how linguistic features such as deixis, modality, transitivity, and narrative perspective represent character consciousness and guide reader interpretation. Through a close textual analysis, the study explores Salim’s cognitive transformation and spiritual awakening in “The Whispering Trees” and Sadiya’s emotional stagnation and grief in “Closure.” The findings reveal that the author’s stylistic choices not only shape the characters’ mental representations but also guide the reader’s cognitive and emotional engagement with the narratives. This interdisciplinary approach highlights the value of cognitive stylistics in African literary studies, offering new insights into the mental and emotional complexities of contemporary Nigerian fiction. 

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