Shumaila Ali

Although the primary function of humour is to make people laugh, it also plays a major role in shaping people"s attitudes. Apparently the function of humour is to generate laughter in order to amuse people and release their tension but verbal humour also involves the use of language to construct or deconstruct people"s identity. The aim of the current study is to explore the identity constructed through the humour employed in one of the programmes: Khabardaar telecast on Express, a Pakistani News channel, in order to unmask the hidden ideologies. Being a qualitative case study, instances of verbal humour taken from different shows of the programme are analyzed within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. The data analysis reveals that in most of the cases the physical features of people, including their obesity and skin colour, are made the target of humour. The study exposes injustice against such people who are considered physically unattractive, according to our...

Travelling to a foreign country for higher education has its own challenges, as apart from dealing with academic stress, international students have to overcome various obstacles mainly because of linguistic and cultural differences between their native and the host country.The study explores a series of narratives shared by a Kenyan male student who had been in Karachi for the last five and a half years for earning a Pharm-D degree from a public sector university in Karachi. The aim of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to conduct an in-depth study of the challenges the Kenyan student faced during his five and a half years in Pakistan along with exploring how he succeeded in dealing with culture shock and adapting to the new academic, linguistic, and sociocultural environment in the host country.The data for this study were collected through a series of conversations with the participant collected in the form of stories, spanning over a period of 16 months. The collected data w...

The main objective of this qualitative study was to explore the perception of indigenous language speakers' written proficiency in English. Being a qualitative case study, the research focused on the students representing the four indigenous language groups: Balti, Burushaski, Khowar, and Shina, studying at the University of Karachi.The data for the study were gathered from 100 students representing the four indigenous language groups who were asked to judge their proficiency in English on a self-reporting questionnaire. The students were then engaged in a writing task which required them to write a paragraph in English. After analyzing students' written samples, some key informants were selected for an in-depth interview to get an emic perspective. The results of the study indicate a mismatch between students' perception of their written proficiency in English and their actual proficiency. The results also highlight gender differences in students' self-perception an...

Writing is a reflection of an individual’s thought patterns and can manifest different forms of identity: personal, religious, cultural, political, and above all gender identity. A closer look at any text not only helps discover the origin of the writer, but can also reveal his/her gender, which is projected in the text. Using Butler’s notion of ‘performing gender’, the study aims to explore gender identity constructed through the written discourse of male and female students by analyzing the differences and/or similarities in their writing. The categories considered for analysis include: selection of the topic projecting the background knowledge of the writer (reflecting how widely read he/she is), lexical and syntactic choices, degree of grammatical accuracy, degree of modality, element of personalization, and informative vs. involved style, which is evident through the text that is produced. The data of the study are based on students’ essays that they were made to write in the C...

Bilingual dictionaries are quite popular among second language learners all over the world for a variety of reasons; the learners either consult these dictionaries to look for equivalents of the words that they wish to learn in the target language, or consult them when they face difficulty in comprehending the target language words while reading a TL text. Bilingual dictionaries often give this impression that there is an equivalent available in the target language for the words of the source language. However, this is far from reality. The so called equivalents provided for many words, particularly religious and culture specific words, in such dictionaries are not equivalents in the true sense and therefore pose problems for language users. Even if equivalents are available, the ones provided in some bilingual dictionaries are not true equivalents. In case of homonyms, for instance, only one meaning is translated, whereas the other meanings are simply ignored. Besides this, many eq...

Pakistan is a country with diverse cultures and languages but this cultural and linguistic diversity is hardly utilized in any of the domains of power, including the domain of education. Despite the fact that UNESCO has declared mother tongue education the right of every child, Pakistani children are deprived of this basic linguistic right which, according to the findings of neurolinguistic research, leads to cognitive development. If cognitive development takes place in one‟s mother tongue, depriving children of the opportunity to get mother tongue education implies inhibiting their cognitive development, which is a blatant violation of the linguistic rights of millions of children in several multilingual countries including Pakistan. The present study attempts to take into consideration university students‟ and teachers‟ opinion regarding the issue of medium of instruction and mother tongue education, as they are the actual stake-holders as far as the language and education policy...

Language learning and teaching in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms is a challenge for both teachers and learners. Although multicultural classrooms are not rare in educational institutions in the Asian context, English language teachers' utilization of the distinct cultural identity that students bring into the classroom is not a common practice in many Asian countries, including Pakistan and Korea. Keeping in view the challenges that teachers face in dealing with a culturally heterogeneous group, the study was undertaken with the aim to capitalize on the cultural diversity of students by incorporating culturally responsive teaching to facilitate active classroom participation. The research design chosen for this study was action research (AR) with the sample size based on a group of 24 first-year students of the BSc (Honors) program in one of the departments of the Faculty of Science at the University of Karachi, Pakistan, where English language is taught as a compulsory course. The activities designed to help students project their own cultural identity as well as to acknowledge and appreciate others' culture centered around task-based learning (TBL) as well as problem-based learning with a focus on all four language skills. The incorporation of cultural elements not only helped the students improve their language proficiency but also promoted in them tolerance and appreciation for each other's culture. Moreover, the focus on culturally responsive teaching along with TBL led to learner autonomy. The study has important pedagogical implications not only for the Pakistani ELT community but also for Korean ELT practitioners as well as language teachers in other Asian countries as it challenges the belief that language learning takes place only through projection of the target language culture in the classroom.

Gender discrimination in every walk of society in Pakistan is one of the major issues now. The aim of this paper is to take this issue into a language classroom and to see if gender disparity is found there. To discover this, an English language proficiency classroom was selected where the academic activities of male and female learners of English were observed for ten weeks against eight variables, namely: awareness of personality, motivation for learning English, selection of topics for class discussion, style of presentation, peer evaluation, performance in classroom activities and problem solving, performance in single-gender and cross-gender groups, and test performance. The study revealed that female students were better at cognitiveacademic language proficiency whereas male learners were better at basic interpersonal communication skills. However, it was also discovered that some of the differences were culture specific rather than based on gender, i.e. there is little or no ...

Pakistan is a country with diverse cultures and languages but this cultural and linguistic diversity is hardly utilized in any of the domains of power, including the domain of education. Despite the fact that UNESCO has declared mother tongue education the right of every child, Pakistani children are deprived of this basic linguistic right which, according to the findings of neurolinguistic research, leads to cognitive development. If cognitive development takes place in one"s mother tongue, depriving children of the opportunity to get mother tongue education implies inhibiting their cognitive development, which is a blatant violation of the linguistic rights of millions of children in several multilingual countries including Pakistan. The present study attempts to take into consideration university students" and teachers" opinion regarding the issue of medium of instruction and mother tongue education, as they are the actual stake-holders as far as the language and education policy of the country is concerned. The data for the study were gathered through focus group discussions with the students of the University of Karachi representing eight different ethno-linguistic groups along with teachers" interviews. The study not only projects students" and teachers" point of view but also highlights the factors that impede mother tongue education in the country affecting the cognitive growth of children, which ultimately affects their academic performance. In the light of the stake-holders" opinions, an effort is made to propose a series of recommendations for a feasible trilingual language and education policy that can help resolve the issue of medium of instruction by incorporating mother tongue education without neglecting the mainstream languages. Through the proposed recommendations it is hoped that the indigenous languages will get a chance to prosper, which can also empower the indigenous language speakers.

Although the primary function of humour is to make people laugh, it also plays a major role in shaping people"s attitudes. Apparently the function of humour is to generate laughter in order to amuse people and release their tension but verbal humour also involves the use of language to construct or deconstruct people"s identity. The aim of the current study is to explore the identity constructed through the humour employed in one of the programmes: Khabardaar telecast on Express, a Pakistani News channel, in order to unmask the hidden ideologies. Being a qualitative case study, instances of verbal humour taken from different shows of the programme are analyzed within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. The data analysis reveals that in most of the cases the physical features of people, including their obesity and skin colour, are made the target of humour. The study exposes injustice against such people who are considered physically unattractive, according to our cultural notion of attractiveness and addresses the issue of inequality highlighted by Fairclough (1995). The humour is not just confined to the physical appearance of people but also involves ridiculing people on the basis of their gender, ethnicity, and nationality. The paper ends with a note of recommendation for the TV channels in general and the comedians in particular, that advertently or inadvertently, become agents in spreading hatred and intolerance against individuals and groups leading to further reinforcement of different forms of prejudice that already exist in our society.

Language embodies different forms of identity: ethno-linguistic, socioeconomic , cultural, national, religious as well as political. Just as language helps project one's identity, food choices perform the same function. A Muslim diner, for instance, is not expected to order pork. Similarly a staunch Hindu diner, is expected to order vegetarian food only. However, in elite restaurants and cafes which seem to be transmitters of globalization, consumers' food choices are controlled by the language used on the menu cards, which can sometimes question their identity in more than one way. Reading the menu cards of such elite restaurants and cafes in major cities of Pakistan, one is likely to receive culture-shock for their menus are dominated by weird names and dishes that are neither aesthetically appealing nor do they seem to appeal to the taste buds of the locals. In fact, the names of some dishes are in sharp contrast to the socio-cultural fabric of Pakistani society. The current study aims to analyze the language used on the menu cards and the weird names assigned to food on the menu of fifty-five elite cafes and restaurants in Karachi, Pakistan. Total 300 names of dishes and beverages have been analyzed using purposive sampling. The linguistic analysis of the menu cards reveals clear signs of socio-cultural metamorphosis which is likely to result in the obliteration of local identity. Moreover, the dominance of foreign cuisine over local Pakistani cuisine in such restaurants and cafes also reflects cultural imperialism. The results of this study can draw attention of the restaurant and cafe industry working in Pakistan to not only rewrite their menus by replacing culturally alien names with those that represent the local Pakistani culture, but also make more space in their menus for Pakistani cuisine, as food is one of the strong symbols of culture.

Writing is a reflection of an individual's thought patterns and can manifest different forms of identity: personal, religious, cultural, political, and above all gender identity. A closer look at any text not only helps discover the origin of the writer, but can also reveal his/her gender, which is projected in the text. Using Butler's notion of 'performing gender', the study aims to explore gender identity constructed through the written discourse of male and female students by analyzing the differences and/or similarities in their writing. The categories considered for analysis include: selection of the topic projecting the background knowledge of the writer (reflecting how widely read he/she is), lexical and syntactic choices, degree of grammatical accuracy, degree of modality, element of personalization, and informative vs. involved style, which is evident through the text that is produced. The data of the study are based on students' essays that they were made to write in the CSS preparatory classes conducted under the Students' Guidance Counselling and Placement Bureau and Overseas Examination, University of Karachi. Being a qualitative study, the sample size chosen was limited to the essays by 30: fifteen produced by male and fifteen by female students. The written samples were selected on the basis of stratified sampling, dividing the samples into two homogenous groups, to do a comparative analysis. The findings of the study reveal significant differences in the writing style of both the genders, which proves that the construction of gender identity is not restricted to oral communication but is also observed in writing.

Considering the excessive importance given to the testing of grammatical forms of English in Pakistani context, the current study aims to examine the testing of English grammar in public sector universities of Pakistan which provides a glimpse of the traditional ELT situation that still prevails in the country. The data for the study are based on the semester examination question papers of English Compulsory designed for first year students of BS, B.Sc, and BA (Honours) programmes. Total 42 question papers were collected from seven public sector universities of Pakistan using convenience sampling. The analysis of most of the test items based on grammar reflects testing of grammar through the traditional method by focusing only on form which reflects teaching of grammar rules at the expanse of developing students' pragmatic competence, a component without which communicative competence cannot be achieved. The findings of the study emphasize the need to focus on meaning as well as function along with form for teaching and testing grammar for a positive backwash effect on both teaching and learning. The study draws attention towards the need to bring transformation in the testing of grammar in Pakistan which is not possible without transforming teaching of grammar.

Considering the cross-cultural nature of teacher-student discourse, the present study aims to investigate university teachers' use of refusal strategies in response to students' requests and the students' perception of politeness in teachers' refusals. The study was divided into two phases: the data for the first phase were collected through a written Discourse Completion Task (DCT) based on requests that students often make in their classroom. The teachers were required to complete the DCT by declining each request in writing. After categorizing teachers' refusals, using the framework proposed by Beebe, Takahashi, & Uliss-Weltz (1990), a rating assessment instrument was shared with the students for collecting data for the second phase of the study to investigate their notion of linguistic (im)politeness. The sample size was based on 50 teachers and 50 students from different faculties of the University of Karachi. The results of the study show that irrespective of their designation and gender, teachers employed indirect refusal strategies with greater frequency than the direct refusal strategies. However, significant gender differences were found in the nature of indirect refusals, as the female teachers were found to use multiple refusal strategies for each situation with greater frequency as compared to their male counterparts. As far as the students' notion of (im)politeness with reference to teachers' use of refusals is concerned, students considered indirect refusal strategies to be more polite as opposed to the direct ones. The study has important implications for classroom discourse as it can help teachers mitigate the face-threatening nature of refusals which in turn can make the classroom environment more conducive to learning.

Reduplication, a morpho-phonological as well as a morpho-semantic and a morpho-syntactic process, is a common linguistic phenomenon found in many languages across the globe. However, the nature and the degree of productivity with regard to reduplication vary from one language to another. The aim of this qualitative corpusbased synchronic study is to explore the nature and function of reduplication in Punjabi, which belongs to the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European language family. The data for the study are based on 150 examples of reduplication in Punjabi and these reduplicated items have been collected from the discourse of Punjabi native speakers in a variety of domains. The data analysis proves that Punjabi is a highly productive language with regard to reduplication as the language reveals a number of different patterns ranging from partial to total reduplication, with different functions. Apart from the existence of different categories of reduplicants with distinct functions, like, reinforcement, emphasis, intensification, continuation, attribution, and attitudinal projection, Punjabi language displays nominal, verbal, adjectival, as well as adverbial reduplication. The study is not only an attempt to make significant contribution in research on Punjabi morphology by adding to the available corpus-based research on the language, but also an endeavour to pave the path for researchers interested in working on the morphology of other indigenous languages of Pakistan.

Linguistic landscape studies have gained momentum in the last fifteen years because of a serious concern for the fate of indigenous languages that are struggling to survive in the presence of a few dominant languages in multilingual contexts. The current study was undertaken to analyze the linguistic landscape of Gilgit-Baltistan, a region rich in both natural beauty and linguistic diversity. The data for this case study were based on 450 photographs of the sign boards, road instructions, and the names of hotels, guest houses and shops. Besides gathering data in the form of photos, some local shop owners and tourists were informally interviewed to discover their opinion about the linguistic landscape of GB and how it relates to the linguistic ecology of this region. The analysis of the data based on photographs reveals that the linguistic landscape of Gilgit-Baltistan does not reflect the same richness and diversity which is characteristic of the linguistic ecology of that region. In fact, the linguistic landscape of GB is dominated by two mainstream languages, English and Urdu, while in Hunza one can also find Chinese along with these languages in public spaces. Although the findings of this study reveal different patterns of language use that constitute the linguistic landscape of GB, no indigenous language is projected in any of the texts that occupy public spaces in the region. The absence of local languages in the linguistic landscape of GB is alarming; the findings of the study reinforce the need to project the indigenous languages in public spaces. The study is an attempt to not only draw attention of the government authorities to take measures to promote indigenous languages by ensuring their projection in public spaces but also raise awareness among the locals, who can contribute in transforming the linguistic landscape of their region.

Folk literature in the form of proverbs, folktales, and folk songs carry strong traces of the culture of any community, for they not only represent the folk beliefs but also help project the worldview of a community. The current study aims to explore the worldview of the Kalasha and Khowar speakers which is manifested through the proverbs found in both the languages. Since it is a small scale qualitative inquiry based on a comparative analysis of the cultural traits of the two communities, the study focuses only on one form of folk literature-proverbs, as they are considered one of the most effective tools for exploring the world view of different cultures. The data for the study are based on a collection of Kalasha and Khowar proverbs published in the form of two separate books carrying more than hundred proverbs of each language along with their Urdu translation. A comparative analysis of these proverbs indicates striking similarities as well as differences between the two communities. The similarities between the cultures of the two communities may be attributed to the geographical proximity of the Khowar and Kalasha speakers, whereas the differences between the two groups reinforce the principle of linguistic relativity which is the basis of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, according to which speakers of different languages perceive reality in different ways. The study is an important contribution in the field of cultural linguistics and paremiology both of which require further research as they are crucial for understanding diverse cultures.