Browsing by Author "Baig, Mehr Un Nisa"

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    A sociolinguistic analysisof language Convergence in the speech of housemaids of Sialkot,Punjab
    (University of Management and Technology Lahore, 2016) Baig, Mehr Un Nisa
    The purpose of this study is to explore convergence in the language of housemaids working in the Punjabi speech community. They were observed and their speech was analyzed at their homes and workplaces. The data was collected from the workplaces and homes of 30 housemaids from Sialkot, a city located in the province of Punjab. In order to find out the reasons behind the convergence, 16 landladies were interviewed as well. The participants of this study were Urdu/Punjabi bilinguals. Their first language was Punjabi and English was the academic language of the landladies. Descriptive approach was used to analyze the data. The study reveals that Urdu is the housemaid’s language of communication at workplaces and Punjabi at their homes. They prefer to speak Urdu and try their level best to communicate with their landlady in the Urdu language. Their choice of topic also changes with the change of situation. They mix regular and irregular forms of Punjabi and English while speaking Urdu and use them in their conversation with the landlady. The number of forms code switched from English was greater than Punjabi. On the contrary, at their homes they did not mix languages. This study contributed in the field of sociolinguistics and suggested directions for future researchers.