Department of English

This research paper examines the differences and similarities between Urdu and Pashtu speaking students concerning the way they devise apology strategies according to the need of the situation. It also attempts to investigate gender effects on the choices and preferences made at the time of apologizing. The study is informed by two-culture theory (Troemel-Ploetz, 1991) that claims separate cultures for men and women. The findings are based on an open-ended questionnaire that attempts to create incidents and events forcing the respondents to tender apology. The data has been collected from randomly selected students enrolled in undergraduate courses in the disciplines of English, Business Administration and Computer Science at National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad. The study reveals that male and female students are less different in their responses while encountering members of the same gender. It also reveals that considerable variations are found in their handling of apology strategies with the opposite gender. In addition, it is also found that the strategies are in consonance with the overall socio-cultural backgrounds of the respondents. The study concludes that gender effects are noticeable where the students are found more formal and less caring in tendering apology to members of the same gender. On the contrary, apology is viewed as a means to establish intimacy and connectedness with members of the other gender. Overall, the students observe great care in dealing with members of the opposite sex. The findings also reveal that students are socialized to adhere to the predominantly gendered social structure that in turn guides their public behavior.

As an important marker in a human society, language performs a variety of functions. It serves the role of a primary vehicle for transmitting cultural norms, values and expectations from one generation to the other. It, therefore, emerges pivotal in connecting the past and the present and also determines the future trends. This research paper argues that language reflects as well as preserves, propagates and perpetuates gendered culture. Analyzing the language used in Pakhtu proverbs, the paper explores the significant role of language in the formation and construction of gender identity in cultural setup. The study is based on the qualitative analysis of 3000 collated folk proverbs from archived (and/or) published collections and their authors' interpretations. The collections primarily relate to Pakhtun social setup in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They share the code of Pakhtunwali with Pakhtuns living in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan and on the other side of the border towards Afghanistan. The findings of the study therefore equally apply to them. The study contends that the proverbs adhere to the tenants of Pakhtunwali and reinforce patriarchal social structure. The gendered linguistic expressions also serve as a means to preserve the age-old gender inequalities, which in turn are manipulated and exploited to erect social structure marked by gender imbalance. The language of proverbs advocates masculinity and male domination in decision-making process, division of labor, domestic and public sphere.

Gender roles and division of labor have been exhaustively researched in the recent decades. Many studies address gender bias and disparity and strive for striking a balance between the roles of men and women. This paper argues that roles are culturally conditioned and based on cultural relativism, Pakhtun society segregate masculine and feminine domains for peaceful coexistence. Guided by the theoretical perspective of Herbert Mead (1901-1978) division of labor is not always discriminatory or biased and its existence can be justified in particular settings. The findings of the study are based on qualitative linguistic analysis of collated folk tappas (plural of tappa) from archived (and/or) published collections and their authors' interpretations. The study intends to investigate and highlight gender role segregation as projected in the language of tappas with a view to establish their relevance to social order in the long history of Pakhtuns residing on Pak-Afghan border in the northwest frontier province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The findings of the study conclude that gender roles fit into the patriarchal social structure of Pakhtuns and define social roles and responsibilities for peaceful coexistence of the two genders. The argument of the study is based on the anthropological perspective of cultural conditioning which emphasizes the role of culture in shaping attitudes, behaviors, social practices and above all gender roles to maintain division of labor. The crux of the approach is to find out, ascertain and delimit the role of biology or nature in determining role differences. It primarily focuses on exploring cultural aspects of life that shape personality and provide distinct identity to its members through socialization and cultural conditioning over generations. In the context, the findings of the study are based on Margaret Mead's (1930) Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, which points to cultural conditioning as opposed to biology in defining social roles of male and females. Her study reveals that each of the three societies have their own relative gender roles, which could not work properly in other societies. This idea of cultural relativism is dominant in her work and it is thus a model for the current study.  Anthropologically, every society has its own culture, which according to E.B. Tyler (1871) is the sum total of the knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of a particular society. It evolves into a life style and design that is learnt, shared and transmitted to coming generations. With the passage of time, complexity occurs in social and cultural relations of people that affect the outlook of the culture and also bring changes in human relations and relative gender roles. It is a fact that men and women have interacted for centuries and that can provide material for learning about gender role. However, medium of transformation of these gender roles is culture and thus it creates a unique personality, which is a debate of present discussion.

Globally, madrassas have become a key focus of researchers and scholars to identify and locate their socio-educational role and responsibility. In the context of Pakistan, majority of the studies however are driven by the security perspective in which attempts have been made to investigate and thus establish their involvement in training non-state actors and religious extremists i.e. Taliban on the Pak-Afghan border. There is a general dearth of in-depth studies conducted inside madrassas in Pakistan and majority views are based on sensationalized media reports. Also rare are research studies that focus these 12,979 religious seminaries from the perspective of educating about 2 million Pakistani citizens. Guided by the theory of linguistic market of Pierre Bourdieu, this study aims at investigating the language attitudes with a view to explore avenues for effectively incorporating English in the curriculum that in turn will enable them to assimilate in the country's job market. Based on 42 in-depth interviews conducted in six madrassas in the war-torn province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the data reveals the virtual absence of English in the curriculum. It also reveals that Arabic reigns supreme as the fountain source of religious knowledge. English is viewed by many as language of opportunities and passport to success however. The study concludes that consistent and informed policy decisions by the government are needed to reform religious education. It further concludes that the policy of English for All has the potential to bridge the existing gulf between religious and secular education in the country.

Language use in family domain depends upon prevalent patterns across three-generations, gender status, education and residence of native speakers. They are also important indicators of language vitality and language loss. The present study employed theoretical framework of language use patterns in family and compared groups with different levels of literacy and geographic locations of speakers of Pothwari and Pahari language in the urban/rural suburbs of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. The findings of the study are based on the data gathered from the speakers (N= 297) who had moved to the city in search of better economic gains. A four-point Likert was employed to compute language use and language choice in family domain. It included language use patterns across grandparents, parents and siblings. The participants of the study were purposively selected through cross-sectional technique. The results of t test and ANOVA showed statistically significant variation across all the tested variables on the scale of language use patterns in the Pothwari and Pahari families. The findings also revealed inverse relation between the level of bilingual education and use of local language in the family domain.

Women are integral to social progress and development. They participate in all walks of life and contribute their fair share for the overall good. Globally, they have been contributing in sports and have brought a positive change in the outlook of societies in favour of gender balance. Conversely, primitive and less developed societies restrict women to domestic sphere and discourage them to participate in public life. They also view sports as masculine domain and frown upon the participation of women in any sports. In Pakistan, the situation is no less different and with a predominantly patriarchal social structure, the country does not cater to the needs of female players in provision of facilities and infrastructure. Despite the growing number of renowned female players, the attitude of the people in general and the government in particular is biased and discriminatory. This study intends to qualitatively analyze newspaper reports through the application of linguistic tools. The reports are purposively selected from published Pakistani English newspapers about women sports available online. The findings reveal that women are underrepresented and narrowly described for their achievements. The study further reveals that they are faced with the challenge to overcome conservative cultural narrative that discourages female sports.

Political discourse analysis is aimed at highlighting the emancipatory agendas of political actors who dialectically produce their discourses for the specific purpose of grasping “pro-ideologies” of masses without giving much room to their real interests. To a great extent the manipulation of language serves as a sturdy tool for political benefits and consequently it provides a strong base for the exploitations of the ideological assumptions of people on a large scale. A critical discourse analysis of Imran Khan’s point of view on Islamophobia suggested that a good speaker always overwhelms the masses and changes the way of thinking of the public. The researchers have accentuated that Imran Khan has affected the mindset of the people regarding Islamophobia. Also an analysis has been done by the researchers of discourses examples in the Imran Khan’s Speech. The researchers have explored various indicators of van Dijk in the Speech of Imran Khan. This paper aims to discuss the realiza...

Online social networks are becoming a major growth point of the internet, as individuals, companies and governments constantly desire to interact with one another, the ability of the internet to deliver this networking capabilities grows stronger. In this paper, we looked at the structure and components of the member profile and the challenges of privacy issues faced by individuals and governments that participate in social networking. We also looked at how it can be used to distort national security, how it became the new weapons of mass mobilization and also how social networks have became the rallying forces for revolutions and social justice.

Online social networks are becoming a major growth point of the internet, as individuals, companies and governments constantly desire to interact with one another, the ability of the internet to deliver this networking capabilities grows stronger. In this paper, we looked at the structure and components of the member profile and the challenges of privacy issues faced by individuals and governments that participate in social networking. We also looked at how it can be used to distort national security, how it became the new weapons of mass mobilization and also how social networks have became the rallying forces for revolutions and social justice.