University of Karachi

Department of English
Evening Program
World Englishes
Presentation 1

Indigenization of English in Pakistan

Assalaamu Alaikum

In his 1984 travelogue Passage to Peshawar, eminent columnist Richard

Reeves described Pakistan from sociolinguistic point of view as the ‘Second
English Empire’ such a description may appear hyperbolic , the fact remains
that English in Pakistan is very much alive today.

Before we discuss the salient features of the findings of Robert J.

Baumgardner, we have to look at the brief background of Pakistani English’s
Standing in our society which is exceddingly multilingual in almost all the
linguistic domains .

The term Indigenization that Baumgardner has used ,turns English to

the status of a homegrown language in the native Pakistani soil. He
explores various features of PE including discussions of Urdu
borrowings, word formation, lexical variation and grammar.here he
cites several examples that are indicative of the linguistic
metamorphosis which are taking place in the English language as it is
today not only in Pakistan, but also throughout South Asia.

The idea of Pakistani English as a distinct variety was first mooted in

the early writings of an Indian linguist Braj B. Kachru when he cites
examples PE as part of his argument for a South Asian Language

As Kachru (1982 a) presents the linguistic sub- family of the subcontinent

which includes Bangladeshi, Indian ,nepali and Srilankan English.

Now here comes a controversial question which we would like to address

before we proceed with our presentation. Are we discussing the common
errors committed by Pakistani users of English in their corruption of standard
English or should we have a blind faith in the coined term “ Pakistani
English”

The press coverage that the PE has received falls into 2 camps
{ refer to the chart}
I
The sooth sayers of …abedi(1991)
II
However…the variety
Now e should also bear these statistics in our mind

{Refer to the chart}

For basic to intermediate proficiency in English –upto 5 percent of

Pakistani population can understand English and 2 % of them can
fluently use English in a variety of influential linguistic domains of
government administration, law,the military, higher education,
commerce and mass media.

English Lang dailies--- 21

Weekly-- 35
Fortnightly 33
Monthly 52
Quarterlies 111
Latest are the launchings of more than two English news channels,
being launched, operated and executed by the speakers of other
languages.
Dawn News, Express News, Geo English.

Now the roots of PE could be traced back to the times of undivided

India through British colonialism in the 17th Century. So English has
developed a unique language contact situation as it began to absorb
the local linguistic and cultural traits of its subcontinental users.
By the late 19th and early 20th century, English got recognition as both
the official and the academic medium throughout the sub-continent,
and despite subsequent Indian Independence and partition, the
language has remained a potent force in the multilingual and
multicultural makeup of present day South Asia and continues to carve
a new face for itself.

It has developed its linguistic and cultural identity. A part of this is

Indian b/c of the common history of the two countries upto 1947. as a
result of the Language’s new contact of use , a typically Pakistani taste
is emerging.

Let’s discuss some of the headlines which have appeared in our

Pakistani published dailies over the years:

We can decipher at all linguistic levels, a distinct feature which is

evident in the forms of loan words from Urdu and the regional
languages.
If you as native speaker of English want to read an English newspaper
in Pakistan with complete comprehension, you must be familiar with
{refer to the handout} some of the loan words, in the realm of food
clothing govt. administration, politics, education , art and music.

For eg from Arabic lexis:

Inshallah,jehad,masjid,shaheed,shariat,zakat.

Conclusion after the activities

The constant evolution and change of languages, which has been
accelerated even more in today’s global village, makes the concept of
a pure language arcane. Many countries around the world especially
the south Asian countries are multilingual, and a significant aspect of
this multilingualism is the use of English in these countries. This fact is
reflected through the print and electronic media of these countries and
Pakistan is not an exception in this regard. The discussed borrowings
from Urdu on media reflects the current language trends and the
peculiar position and status of English in the country.

Engish Grammatical System

There are certain changes that are integrated in the English

grammatical system. The borrowings and the resultant
grammmaticalization of borrowed items is the natural consequence of
language contact situation.
1. Singular borrowed Urdu Nouns + English plural suffix –s
o Jirga + s= jirgas
o Goonda+ s=goondas

2. Urdu nouns used as English verbs.

i. ‘The Resident Magistrate …raided the premises of
diesel oil dealers in the sub-division and challaned 15
of them for various offences…’
ii. ‘Eight feet high wrought iron gates that lck in the
night are chowkidared during the day’
Pakistani English’s Identity is Word Formation

1. the combination of English affixes with bases of both English and

Urdu has produced a remarkable array of previously unattested
vocabulary.
i. De-notify
ii. De-load
iii. De-seat
iv. De-shape
 2. Use of suffixes –er,-ee—ism

i. As in –er
o Eveninger
o History-sheeter
o Auto- rickshaw lifters, baby lifters, car lifters
ii. As in –ee

o Affectees
o Shiftees
o Ad-hocee
iii. As in –ism
o Talibanism
o White-elephantism
o Bradarism
o Goondaism
o Ziaism

Use of Archaic/Obsolete British English

1. Botheration
2. conveyance
3. moot
4. thrice
5. tantamount

6. Old words make new entities

o Druggist- a narcotic dealer

o Preoccupation- previous engagement
o Patchwork- repair carried out on the roads.

Local Innovations at the Phrasal Level

Words which do not normally occur together in other varieties are

often found in new collocations
1. to discuss a topic threadbare
2. to met out a step-motherly treatment
3. to raise slogan against something
4. to take out a procession
5. to cope up with a problem
6. to stress on the importance of a matter
7. to request for something
8. to dispose off an item
9. to avail an opportunity
Tendency to Reduce and Propose Phrases

1. milk bottle( a bottle of milk)

2. wheat bag ( a bag of wheat)
3. toast piece ( a piece of toast)
4. detrimental to health medicines( medicines which are
detrimental to the health)
5. public dealing office( an office which deals with the public)
6. under construction bridge( a bridge which is under construction)

Activity 1
Instructions
Observe the occurrences of instances of the native linguistic and cultural
issues of Pakistan in the following:

1
.
Shahbaz’s Re 1 roti: far from reality?

Daily Times( Lahore, Internet Edition on April 04,2009)

2. Lahore—Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz’s leader Nawaz Sharif said

former US President George W. Bush’s policy resulted in the terrorism’s
promotion as it backed the government of former president Pervez
Musharraf

Pakistan Obeserver( Newspaper’s Online Edition on Apr,04,09)

3. Now following is an excerpt from Pakistan Christian Post where an interview is

being conducted. A native speaker of English won’t be able to identify with certain
lexical borrowings from Urdu to English if he is not exposed to the local Pakistani
culture and issues
And we emphasize if certain words are replaced , they will deviate from the original
source word in semantic interpretation
Madrasas in Pakistan: An Interview with a Pakistani Deobandi Scholar by
Yoginder Sikand

Maulana Zahid ul-Rashidi is a leading Pakistani Deobandi scholar. In this interview

with Yoginder Sikand he talks about madrasas in Pakistan today.

I was born in a village in Gujranwala, Punjab, in 1948. My father, Maulana

Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan, was a graduate of the Dar ul-Ulum, Deoband, where he
had studied under the renowned scholar Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni. He taught at
various madrasas in Pakistan for nearly 60 years, and wrote around 50 books. He is,
by God's grace, still alive and is considered to be a leading representative of the
Deobandi school of thought in Pakistan.

I began my education by memorizing the Quran and learning basic Arabic grammar
under the instruction of my father and other teachers, and then went on to study the
dars-i nizami,, at the Madrasa Nusrat ul-'Ulum in Gujranwala, completing the final
year, which was devoted to the study of Hadith, the traditions of the Prophet, in
1970. Since then I have been serving as a khatib at the Markazi Jamia Masjid in
Gujranwala. I am also engaged in teaching and writing. I teach at the Madrasa
Anwar ul-Ulum at the central mosque in Gujranwala and am the principal of the
Madrasa Nusrat ul-Ulum as well.

Q: Some Pakistani mazhabi groups, including the radical Deobandi Sipah-i Sahaba,
consider the other sect as kafirs, branding them as what they call 'enemies of Islam'.
How do you, as a leading Deobandi scholar yourself, look at this?
Activity 2:
Following are some general lexical items which have been used as part of
news items in Pakistani English newspapers over the years( source:
Baumgardner, Shamim and Kennedy,1989)

Edible food Concepts Clothing/Ac Marriage Politics

stuff c
Namak- Aamil Batwa Barati Wokala
mirch mahaz
Vanaspati Bhai-bhai Khusa Sehra bandi Anjuman
tajran
Moong Ghisi-piti Gota Dulhan Aiwan-i-
khabar Zarafat
Desi cheeni Ehtasaab Chogha Walwar Tehrik-i-
istiqlal
Home Funeral Place Occupation Modes of
-furnishing Names s Address
Darri Janazgah Astana Ayah Arbab
Dastarkhan Kafan-posh Gali Mali Maqtool
Purdah Maqbara Darul aman Quli Nabaligh
buccha
Takhtposh taboot Mangal Pehlwan wadera
bazaar
Religion Slogans Expression Meetings -Walla’s
s
Nikah Gherao Farshi salam Jalsa-i-aam Qulfi-wala
jallao
Shab-e- Jeewe jeewe Shabaash Jirga Raddiwala
barat pakistan
fitrana Roti,kapra mubarak Mela-thela chaywalla
or makan
bismillah Marde Bo-kata kafila Golgappa
momin walla
marde haq
Art Forms Arms/weap administra Labels for Money/Ban
ons tion People king
Bhangra Kirpan Dak Ayyar Kamai
Kalaam Kulhari Tehsil Crore-pati Rupee
Rag Danda Theka Dakoo Sood
Gana bajana hathora Zila ghaddar Hundi
With the help of the table above, make at least two leads for a Pakistani
based English Newspaper. You are free to use your creative license in pairs
or in trios (5 min) + (feedback: 5 min)
1.___________________________________________________________
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2.___________________________________________________________
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