Depiction of Kashmir in Media: A Corpus Assisted Study of Pakistani and Indian Newspapers
This work deals with the use of adjectives in the depiction of Kashmir in Pakistani and Indian Newspapers. This study investigates the differences between Pakistani and Indian media with reference to the representation of the issue of Kashmir. For this purpose, a corpus of newspaper editorial articles from both Pakistani and Indian newspapers was compiled. The data was tagged with help of AntTag and was analyzed using AntConc software to see the differences between Pakistani and Indian newspapers with reference to the representation of Kashmir. The findings suggest that there is a lot of differences between Pakistani and Indian media with reference to the use of adjectives for the depiction of Kashmir. The findings also suggest that the depiction of Kashmir in both newspapers is biased and subjective.
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Corpus Linguistics, Indian Media, Pakistani Media, Analysis of Adjectives, Kashmir Issue
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(1) Athar Rashid
Assistant professor, Department of Governance & Public Policy, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Arshad Ali
Assistant professor, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Ameer Sultan
Lecturer, Department of English, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Urdu, Punjabi & Pothwari: Striking Similarities & Uniqueness of the Three Indo-Aryan Languages
Urdu, Punjabi and Pothwari are the three most widely spoken languages in Pakistan and India. Historical invasions and colonization resulted in the dispersal of the local population, causing numerous dialects of each language. There are different theories and myths about the historical connection of these languages. One such theory says that Pothwari is a variant of the Punjabi language. This might be due to the perception that Pothwari has so far been unable to claim the status of an independent language and thus, has a subordinated, relegated or inferior social status. The main reason behind this might be the folk linguistic perceptions that connect this great Oriental language with the uneducated and the unrefined. Though Urdu, Punjabi and Pothwari have sprung from the same ancestral source, they have developed uniquely over centuries. This article explores how the shared features between these three languages have diverged over time, causing great linguistic diversification
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Epenthesis, Metathesis, Deixis, Honorifics, Folk Linguistics
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(1) Salma Qayyum
Lecturer, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Samina Qayyum
Lecturer, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Najma Qayyum
Lecturer, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Identification and Analysis of Commissive Speech Acts to Decode Indirect Messages in News Headlines
Headlines carry more indirect messages than the direct ones. The present article aims to explore the indirect messages in CNN headlines written about a variety of political, diplomatic and security affairs in Pakistan. It also investigates the role of the linguistic as well as the contextual elements in the identification of the indirect messages carried by the headlines in the form of speech acts. The research finds that the headlines have pragmatically encoded meanings. The headlines are not just pieces of information, but they are associated with communicating a range of messages related commitment to future actions, possible future actions, announcing future actions, expressing speaker intentions regarding future activities and pledging for future. The linguistic devices and the contexts associated with the headlines play a significant role in the identification and analysis of the indirect messages in the headlines.
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Speech acts, Commissives, CNN headlines, Illocutionary forces, Context of headlines, Linguistic devices
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(1) Rabiah Rustam
Assistant Professor,Department of Humanities, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Pakistan.
(2) Akbar Ali
Assistant Professor,Department of English,FATA university, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Muhammad Imran
Lecturer, Department of English, FATA University, KP, Pakistan.
Hybridity and Linguistic Pluralism: A Pragmatic Analysis of University Academic Discourse
The language used in academic texts and pedagogy is referred as academic discourse. Being student and teacher, the researchers observed that mixing of home language with academic language was a common practice in many institutions. Some linguists appreciate it, while others resist it by claiming it detrimental to objectivity and neutrality. Chiang (2006) finds role of teacher’s discourse a determining factor in pedagogy. Current study was conducted to observe the phenomenon of hybridization in academic discourse and to assess it in the light of pragmatics. Pragmatic analysis is known as a useful method to infer covert and implicit meanings of language (Savignon, 2007) and the researchers deemed it appropriate for current research. The pragmatic analysis could provide a newer outlook on academic discourse. Data was collected through observation sheet from the classes. Questionnaire was also used to get relevant data from teachers. The findings revealed that teachers often relied on cultural and ideological underpinnings in their pedagogy. The individual conversational styles were also responsible for different mode of hybridization and subsequently reinforced diverse facet of discourse different in pragmatic nature. The data was first analyzed for hybridization followed by its pragmatic analysis. The study was important in the backdrop of one of many beliefs, that meaning never remains fixed and it resides in socio-cultural structures and lack of pragmatic knowledge among interlocutors impedes semantic proficiency. The study revealed utility of pragmatic competence in turning this mixing of discourses in a class into a continuum. It also found that knowledge of academic pragmatics could reinforce semantic proficiency.
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Hybridity/Hybridization, Academic Discourse, Linguistic Continuum, Pedagogy, University Teachers
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(1) Nazakat
Lecturer, Department of English, Hazara University, Mansehra, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Safeer Awan
Dean, Faculty of English Studies, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Geographic, Ethnic and Linguistic Composition of Afghanistan: Methodological rich points of Language Policy and Planning
This paper evaluates the Language Policy and Planning's (LPP) Methodological Rich Points (MRP) in the geographic, ethnic and linguistic composition of Afghanistan. The theoretical construct is taken from the work of Nancy H. Hornberger on MRP in LPP. The paper explores a range of primary and secondary sources, and finds that the presence of inequality, marginalization and oppression in intra-ethnic and intralanguage group relations, sharing of resources and power account for neglect of the MRP in Afghan LPP. The geographic details in conjunction with explanation of historical process of migrations and conquests explains that most of the minority language speakers are concentrated in the difficult to reach areas of Afghanistan for their safety. Further, the limiting factors of Afghan geography explains the preservation of minority languages from the effects of majority languages. The study concludes with the proposal that it would be helpful to avoid the pitfalls of the current LPP in future by giving due attention to MRP.
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Afghanistan, Methodological Rich Points, Language Policy and Planning, Afghan Ethnic Composition, Afghan Linguistic Composition, Afghan Geography, LPP
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(1) Ayaz Ahmad
Lecturer, Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Sana Hussan
MPhil Scholar, Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Safiullah
Research Assistant, Humanity Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Identifying Features of Pakistani Learners Writing Through MDA and Coh-Metrix
Learner language has been a source of interest for researchers of all times as it possesses common features of language in use. For investigating this, Multi-dimensional analysis (MDA) by Biber is one such approach that empirically studies practiced language and establishes grounds for those varieties too which are striving for their place in linguistic cline (Crossely, et al., 2014). The present research is an effort to explore common patterns of learner language, which are explored throughCoh-Metrix (an online data tagging tool used to assess cohesion, coherence,readability level, etc.) to study those features and their respective functions while partially using MDA methodology. Following Biber's methodology,Factor analysis was conducted, and four dimensions were identified, which provided clues for the functional association of these dimensions. The results show that Pakistani learners' argumentative writing possesses narrative features and is dominatingly overlapping at the level of vocabulary,syntactic constructions, and passage development, and even in argumentation. These findings help us to establish the fact that Pakistani English has its own identity. These results are helpful for linguists as well as teachers as the knowledge of common linguistic and syntactic structures can be assessed easily while keeping in mind the grade level of the students.
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Coh-Metrix, Factor Analysis, Multidimensional Analysis, ICLE, Corpus Linguistics
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(1) Rabia Tabassum
Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Mahwish Farooq
Senior Lecturer, Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Muhammad Asim Mahmood
Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
Transitivity in Pakistani English: A Corpus-based Approach towards Mapping Frequency Profiles
This paper aims at building frequency profiles based on transitivity patterns of a small number of text corpora belonging to Pakistani English newspaper editorials. The profiles have been built by using UAM Corpus Tool (O’ Donnell, 2008) to explore transitivity features. The empirical analysis then has been compared with the frequency profiles of English language (Matthiessen, 2006 and Stubbs, 1996) to establish common features. The present work draws inspiration by Michael Halliday who is known as one of the pioneer corpus linguists since his early work on the Chinese language (Halliday 1956, cited in Halliday 1993). Mapping his (ibid) study on the BNC model he concluded that the relative frequencies of past and non-past are about 50-50 and the relative frequencies of positive and negative are about 9-1 (reported in Halliday 1993). Similarly, the present study looks closer to Standard English, and this is partially because the editorials are written by professional writers, and are well edited before printing.
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Systemic Functional Grammar, Transitivity, Corpus Linguistics, Frequency Profiles, Pakistani English
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(1) Tazanfal Tehseem
Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Mubina Talaat
Professor, Department of English, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
Ideological Underpinning of Political Slogans of Mainstream Political Parties of Pakistan: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Language is not merely a means of communication; it is also a carrier of the ideology of the people who speak it though it may not be easily discernible at times. This implies that language and ideology bear a very close relationship with each other. The present study reports how language and ideology are interwoven in the form of slogans found in the political gatherings and rallies of three mainstream political parties of Pakistan: PMLN(Pakistan Muslim League, N),PPP(Pakistan People's Party) and PTI(Pakistan Tehreek –e- Insaf). To critically analyse the selected slogans,methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offered by Van Dijk and specific meanings which are not clear to the ordinary audience. The present study also aimed at finding out how the hidden ideology manipulates the judgements and reaction of the public.
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Slogans, Ideology, Power, Lexicalization, Transitivity, Systematic Functional Linguistics
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(1) Hamed Hussain Shah
Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Javed Iqbal
Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Arshad Mahmood
National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
English Linguistics in the Nexus of Economic Growth and Cultural Evolution
This article investigates the profound role of English linguistics in shaping economic growth as well as cultural evolution in a world that is highly globalized. With the language ascending toward its status as a global lingua franca, it has greatly influenced international trade, labor mobility, and digital communication, thereby enhancing international economic integration. The economic benefits of knowing English include more competitive information technology and business process outsourcing industries in countries with higher proficiency levels, such as India and the Philippines. Also, there is the cultural dimension of advancing globalization that questions the internationalization of English, linguistic imperialism, and cultural homogenization. On the other hand, while several scholars have contended that the spread of English erodes linguistic diversity, others point out that English is also adaptive: local cultures combine English with native languages to create hybrid forms, including the renowned "Hinglish" and "Singlish."
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English Linguistics, Migration, Economic Growth, Cultural Evolution, Globalization, Linguistic Imperialism, Identity Formation, Human Capital Development, International Relations
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(1) Sadaf -
MPhil Scholar, Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Zeeshan Naseer
Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Government MAO Graduate College, Lahore, Pakistan.
(3) Ahmad Sheraz
M.Phil Scholar, School of International Relations, Minhaj University Lahore, Punjab Pakistan.
Surah Al-Fatiha as an Abstract/Preface of the Holy Quran: A Linguistic Perspective
In the tradition of writing, multiple genres have matured enough and carry universal standardization. Most captivatingly, the universal standard has been ideally reflected in the text of the Holy Quran. The study in hand highlights the linguistic excellence of a very small but complete genre known as abstract. It plays highly significant role in the promotion of a research paper, article, thesis or project. In the tradition of book writing, it is replaced with preface. The Holy Quran is known as word of Allah Almighty. It was revealed to the last and final messenger Hazrat Muhammad (SAW). This may be claimed as the only ideal book on the face of Erath. Present study is meant to highlight Surah Al-Fatiha as an ideal abstract through linguistic analysis and interpretation. The discussion and findings of the study may help the researchers to write a better abstract/preface.
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Surah Al-Fatiha, Abstract, Preface, Linguistic, Perspective
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(1) Muhammad Abdullah
Assistant Professor, Department of English Linguistics and Literature, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Naila Maryam
Lecturer, University of Baltistan, Skardu, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.