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Item DECONSTRUCTING PESSIMISTIC DISCOURSE IN THE PLAYS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS(UMT, Lahore, 2014) IRSHAD AHMAD TABASUMThis study uses deconstructive theoretical underpinning to debate the presence of an optimistic discourse contrary to the pessimistic discourse as stressed by the critics and researchers of Tennessee Williams. It is qualitative in nature and inductive method is employed to carry it out. Pessimistic discourse in the plays of Williams is crafted in such a way that it has to be decoded and deconstructed to make optimistic sense of them. The study explores optimism in the chaotic world portrayed in these plays. It proves that Williams’ art focuses on ceaseless struggle to bring order to chaos. Focusing on binary pairs of opposites like conscious/unconscious, fertility/sterility, hope/hopelessness, soul/body, self/other sanity/insanity, regeneration/degeneration, saviors/killers, reality/illusion etc. this study tries to uncover certain contradictions and instabilities in the plays of Williams. By deconstructing the warring forces of signification in these plays it searches optimism in the bleak situation of human life. If the individual is at war with the society, he is also at war with himself. He becomes a hero when he refuses the role of victim and tries to change the course of events with an act of rebellion. In his desire to become his own liberator, he tries to transform his world. The external forces pounce upon him to crush him but they fail before his insatiable desire for existence. In his struggle for a better world Williams’ protagonists sometime fail but such a failure becomes a blessing in disguise as it makes them better human beings with great knowledge of things around them.Item Code-Switching by Phases: A Minimalist Perspective(UMT, Lahore, 2016) Nazir Ahmed MalikThe study attempts to establish that there is no essential difference between bilingual and monolingual linguistic competence as the negative and positive Urdu/English code-switching data may satisfactorily be accounted for within the provisions of Chomsky’s (2000, 2001, 2005 and 2008) Phase Theory. The inability of the existing CS-models in accounting for the recurring switches in the data necessitates the minimalist account of CS offered in the study. It is proposed that both mixed and unmixed sentences are derived in a similar fashion in two distinct derivational chunks called Phases.Item Phonetic Analysis of Lexical Stress in Sindhi(UMT, Lahore, 2016) Abdul Malik AbbasiThis dissertation investigates the syllable structure and stress patterns of Sindhi words through the analysis of behavioral data from speech judgment experiments, and of acoustic data from speech production experiments, conducted with native speakers of Sindhi. There were three basic queries, the first of which was: What is the syllable structure? For this, a syllable judgment study was designed to explore syllable structure in Sindhi indigenous words and English loanwords. Syllable counts and syllabification judgments were elicited from native speakers for words presented in written format. This syllable judgment study sought to determine native speakers’ intuitions about the syllabification of Sindhi words in terms of the major principles: Sonority Sequencing Principle(SSP) and Maximal Onset Principle (MOP) of syllabification, and phonotactic constraints of the language, referencing to consonant clusters syllable-initially, -medially, and -finally. On the basis of the data, the study devised an algorithm for syllabification that illustrates how a Sindhi word is syllabified.Item A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE ACCESS PROGRAM AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS: IMPACT OF MILIEUS AND METHODS ON STUDENTS’ LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE AND PERFORMANCE(UMT, Lahore, 2019) MUHAMMAD IQBALResearch in the field of ELT to surface the best practices is becoming ever more important in the Pakistani context. Researchers are evaluating different language programs to suggest improvement in the existing teaching-learning scenario. The current study is an attempt to investigate the impact of milieus and methods on linguistic competence and performance of the English Access Microscholarship Program (Access Program) and public school students. The Access Program is a U. S. State Department funded program.It provides a significant English language learning experience to bright non-elite students.Item Translational Stylistics A Corpus-based Study of English Translated Urdu Fiction(UMT, Lahore, 2019) Muhammad Javed IqbalThe present research aims at exploring translational stylistic features of English texts translated from Urdu fiction; and tracing the stylistic similarities and differences among the English translated fiction, Native English and Pakistani English fiction. It also aims at finding textual dimensions, which shape the translated fiction in a specific way. Style in translation perspective is seen a complex phenomenon, which contributes to the development of discursive structure of a text and the emergence of specific meanings in any writing activity, as translational style gets particular textual features, which make it different from the style of native and non-native writings. This research finds this aspect of stylistic studies significant to be explored specifically in corpus perspective. A corpus of translated English fiction (TEF), Pakistani English fiction (PEF) and native English fiction (NEF) has been developed. The data are analyzed against the research questions of the study by employing Multidimensional Analysis Tagger (acronym as MAT, Version 1.3), a free tagger developed by Nini (2015) available online, that provides the same output as provided by Biber’s taggerItem MORPHOSYNTACTIC DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN ACQUIRING URDU AND PUNJABI(UMT, Lahore, 2020) Tahira KhanamThe present research documents the morphosyntactic development of children acquiring Urdu and Punjabi as first Language through quantitative and qualitative data within Generativists and usage based Constructivists’ frame works. A cross-sectional study of total 48 children including 36 Urdu and Punjabi bilinguals age ranged 3.0-6.0 divided into six groups (age wise) i.e. 3.0 - 3.5, 3.5 - 4.0, 4.0 - 4.5, 4.5 - 5.0, 5.0 - 5.5, 5.5 - 6.0, and one group of 12 monolinguals (6 Urdu and 6 Punjabi speaking) age ranged 2.5 - 3.0 participated in this study. They were non-randomly selected. Their acquisition of noun morphosyntax including gender, number and case categories and verb morphosyntax of present progressive and present perfect tenses was judged through picture description task. While for all past tenses including progressive, habitual and perfect and oblique case of infinitive, video clipping, for adjective-noun agreement live enactment and for present habitual, nominative, oblique infinitives and imperative (request form) interview techniques were used.Item A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF ACTOR DELINEATION, ACTION ATTRIBUTION AND EVENT DESCRIPTION IN AFGHAN WARS (1979-1989 & 2001-2008)(UMT, Lahore, 2020) WAQASIA NAEEMThe study explores the linguistic construction of Self and Others by the Chief Martial Law Administrator/President, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haque (Late), and the then Chief Executive/ President Pervez Musharraf (presently living abroad)on Afghanistan wars from 1979 to 1988 and from 2001 to 2008. The data was composed of Zia-ul-Haque and Pervez Musharraf's addresses to the nation, interviews with local and foreign media, and briefings at national and international forums. Wodak's (2001) Discourse Historical Approach, along with Van Leeuwen's Social Actor Representation approach, was used as a theoretical lens to look for linguistic forms, rhetorical devices, and discursive strategies exploited by Zia-ul-Haque and Pervez Musharraf to legitimate their ideologies during these wars. The study reveals that both the military rulers used variouslinguistic forms: adjectives, pronouns, and modality, rhetorical devices: euphemism, metonymy,narratives, denials, hyperbole, nominalization, question/answer pairs, antithesis and rhetorical question to construct the discursive strategies: nomination, predication, argumentation, perspectivation, intensification, and mitigation.Item THE USE OF DISCURSIVE PRACTICES FOR THE PROMOTION OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE(UMT, Lahore, 2020) Mazhar IqbalA language is a primary source of expressing and reshaping ideology (Fowler, 1985) and politicians use it as a power to put certain ideas into practice (Bayram, 2010). This study aims to highlight political ideology propagated through political language, especially, in the parliamentary discourse. Speeches of the fourteen parliamentarians representing four leading political parties from the third joint session of 2013-2018 tenure, were selected for the analysis. The study used CDA approach for analyzing the underlying ideology in the speeches and seeing the partisan effects in the selected speeches. To investigate an us-them strategy for in-group positive and out-group negative presentation, the study employed three discursive practices i.e. in-group positive presentation vs out-group negative presentation, proximization and clusivity.Item DECONSTRUCTION OF BABA BULLEH SHAH’S SUFI NARRATIVES(UMT, Lahore, 2021) Priya AnwarThis study explores Baba Bulleh Shah’s narratives from the genre of Punjabi Sufi poetry called the k𝑎fi یَََکِ . Sixteen k𝑎fis یَََ یَََکِ are interpreted through Jacque Derrida’s framework of deconstruction. Ten theological deconstruction elements are considered e.g., negative theology, La Diff𝑒́rance and sous rature to name a few. These elements are associated with twenty linguistic patterns like epanorthosis, tautology, and personification, etc., discovered in the k𝑎fis یَََ یَََکِ to compare the philosophies of Derrida and Bulleh Shah. Thematic analysis with three stages of coding: In vivo, descriptive and value coding has been used to find themes and subthemes in the selected k 𝑎 fis. These themes derived through linguistic patterns are then interpreted for compatibility, under compatibility, and over compatibility with Derrida’s deconstruction elements to develop an indigenous deconstruction model.Item SEMIOTICS OF HONOUR KILLING AND GENDER REPRESENTATION IN PAKISTANI PAINTINGS(UMT, Lahore, 2021) Mehvish Riaz,Understanding the ideological implications of patriarchal norms of honour and the construction of social meanings related to gender by studying the authenticity of discursive representations is essential for foregrounding Pakistani social realities to those inside or outside the culturescape. The study, therefore, examines how gender is represented through visual signs in the paintings on honour killing, how social structures gain meaning on getting painted, how power dynamics work in the so-called traditional or patriarchal societies, and if and how these semiotic constructions represent, underrepresent, or misrepresent Pakistani context. The grammar of the visual design of forty paintings on honour killing, painted by male and female Pakistani painters belonging to different areas of Pakistan, have been qualitatively studied in the light of the theoretical understanding of ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions suggested by Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), and the politics of representation suggested by Hutcheon (1989). To check the authenticity and cultural relevance of the representations, the findings gathered through the analysis of the paintings have further been verified by interviewing twenty teachers/visual artists teaching at Government College University, Lahore, National College of Arts, Lahore, University of the Punjab, and Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.Item SOCIOLINGUISTIC DYNAMICS OF GENDERED COURTROOM NARRATIVES IN THE PROCEEDING AND DECISION OF MURDER TRIAL CASES IN PAKISTAN(UMT, Lahore, 2021) IRAM AMJADThis study explores the discursive strategies and the linguistic choices used to negotiate and legitimate the gendered narratives by solicitors and judges in Pakistan's district and session courts. Fifteen murder trial arbitrations of these courts from the major cities of Punjab: Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Bahawalpur were selected and analyzed. The thematic network of Wodak's (2001) Discourse Historical Approach and Shi-xu's (2005) Sociocultural Communication Approach (SCA) were taken as a theoretical lens to interpret how far the narratives of solicitors and judges were motivated by cultural dynamics. The data reveals that the solicitors and the judges constructed women's socio-legal identity, such as weak and submissive, caregivers, and respectable. Furthermore, they produced tethered sociocultural narratives that favor women in the legal discourses in many ways.Item PHONEMIC DESCRIPTION AND CODIFICATION OF SHAHPURI WITH REFERENCE TO MAJHI - A DIALECT OF THE PUNJABI LANGUAGE(UMT, Lahore, 2022) Muhammad Nadeem ChohanPunjabi, a language that belongs to the Indo-Aryan family of languages, is spoken in various nations around the globe, especially Pakistan and its province Punjab and Indian Panjab. It manifests itself through various dialects based on diversified geographical areas, clans, and contiguous dialects. The importance of Punjabi cannot be denied being the 10th most widely used language globally (Ghai & Singh, 2013). According to Ethnologue (2020), the number of Punjabi speakers is 125,326,840. In Pakistan, it is the language of the majority of the people residing in the most populous province of Pakistan, Punjab. In India, it is one of the 22 languages with official status. Unfortunately, no considerable work has been done on the phonology of its dialects.Item A MORPHOSYNTACTIC DESCRIPTION OF DHANI(UMT, Lahore, 2022) WASIM HASANThis study aims to provide a morphosyntactic description of Dhani, a dialect of Punjabi language spoken in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Dhani is spoken in parts of the Rawalpindi Division (Pothohar Plateau), Chakwal, and southern parts of Jhelum and Attock Districts. The study is a field research. Data was collected from a sample of sixty Dhani speakers from three tehsils viz. Chakwal, Kallar Kahar and Choa Saiden Shah of Chakwal district, belonging to different social, regional and educational backgroundsselected through purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through text and discourse centered approach, communicative focus group discussions (FGDs) and direct elicitations which were recorded with the help of four native research assistants (RAs).Item MORPHO SYNTACTIC INFLUENCE OF L1 (PUNJABI) ON L2 (ENGLISH) IN ESL CLASSROOM IN PUNJAB(UMT, Lahore, 2022) Sarwar KhanThe present Study investigates the Morpho Syntactic influence of LI (Punjabi) in the learning of L2 (English) as second language in ESL classroom in Punjab. It also focuses on the different types of influences at Morpho Syntactic level, the graduate learners show while acquiring L2. It further focuses out the impacts of cross linguistic influence at Morpho Syntactic level i.e. at structural level, prepositional level, clause level, and influence at subject- verb agreement, noun, pronoun, article, adverb, conjunction level and at syntactic level. Moreover, it explores the first language interference in the formation of syntactic patterns of target language. The study also discovers hegemonious hold of mother language in the making of morphological formations of source language. Cross linguistic influence is a major factor in the field of second language acquisition. It has many serious side effects on the process of learning of target language.Item THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POWER, IDEOLOGY AND GENDER REPRESENTATION IN HILLARY CLINTON’S SELECTED DISCOURSES(UMT, Lahore, 2022) Safina KanwalFoucault’s theory of power and discourse has opened new horizons in the various fields of linguistics. Discourse is a potent tool for exerting power (Foucault, 1998). Critical discourse analysis (CDA) reveals the ways by which discourse is manipulated for the construction of various issues such as identity, ethnicity, ideology, cultural differences and gender. The most wide-ranging and most influential work in CDA is of Norman Fairclough. He takes language as a social practice through which power and ideology are maintained and challenged.The present doctoral dissertation intends to investigate Hillary Clinton’s political discourses in terms of her tactical use of discourse to gain power, to build her gender identity and to depict her political ideology. The study aims to analyze the political speeches of Hillary Clinton to understand the role of discourse in gaining power and also its role in the representation of female gender.Item A LEXICAL ANALYSIS OF PUNJAB CURRICULUM AND TEXTBOOK BOARD’S ENGLISH LANGUAGE BOOKS OF GRADE 1 TO 6(UMT, Lahore, 2022) Muhammad Umer AzimEnglish language in the context of Pakistan is very important. Government of Pakistan is trying hard to improve the standard of English by taking steps like; teaching English from Grade 1, training teachers, providing free English textbooks, revising textbooks etc. These textbooks are extremely important in the context of English language teaching in Pakistan because they are the only source of exposure to more than 7.6 million (2018, School Education Official Website) students studying in public sector schools. These textbooks need to be evaluated thoroughly for their effectiveness. This evaluation can consider different linguistic aspects. The recent interest in vocabulary teaching brought it to the centre stage of the language teaching process. The researchers established a strong relationship between vocabulary acquisition and language acquisition among language learners (Hazenberg & Hulstijn 1996, Hu & Nation 2000, Lessard 2013).Item DYNAMICS OF WEBLOGS AS HETEROTOPIAN SPACES THROUGH DISCOURSE VIRTUAL APPROACH IDENTITY FORMATION OF PAKISTANI FEMALE BLOGGERS(UMT, Lahore, 2022) TABASSUM SABAWithin the domain of the cyber world, this research discusses Weblogs as heterotopias. Heterotopias, in today’s world, are viewed in terms of different spatial fields which formulate alternative spaces or an ‘other’ space and a world that hinges on constant friction between the real and the unreal. As suggested by Foucault (1986), they are of two types – heterotopias of deviation and of crisis. Taking these ideas further, some researches refer to the internet and Facebook as emerging heterotopias (Sherman, 1998; Rymarczuk & Derksen 2014; Hope, 2016). This research interrogates how Pakistani female bloggers construct their own world which is different from their real spatio-geographical location. It also aims to scrutinize how this other world helps the females in (re) constructing their online identity, which may be different from their offline, real identity. The study also investigates how the weblogs offer hyper freedom to Pakistani female bloggers for identity formation through linguistic meansItem LANGUAGE CONTACT AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION A STUDY OF PASHTO COMMUNITY IN LAHORE(UMT, Lahore, 2022) AMINA KHALIDThis study examines how the speakers of the migrant Pashto community construct their identity in the multilingual settings of Lahore. The purpose is to identify and investigate the linguistic patterns that emerge in the speech of the migrant Pashto speakers due to their contact with other languages such as Urdu, English, and Punjabi in the multilingual environment. This study also explores the linguistic interactions of the migrant Pashto speakers through which they form their micro and macro identities. The research looks into the language practices, beliefs, and management adopted by the speakers of the migrant Pashto community. The mixed-methods research has been used to investigate the research problem.Item A LINGUISTIC PROJECTION OF PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL IDENTITY AS REPRESENTED IN THE PRINT MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT ON MILLENNIALS(UMT, Lahore, 2022) FAIQA ABDUL KHALIQThis study is theoretically comprised and has empirically analysed how the national identity of Pakistan is critically projected in the Pakistani print media which has left a negative impact on Pakistani millennials. The previous literature on national identity of Pakistan is dominated by religious, linguistic and ethnic studies. The present study explores the linguistic projections used in the print media to project national identity of Pakistan. The oscillating images used to represent the national identity of Pakistan display the hegemonic discourse used by Pakistan’s print media to malign the national identity over the decade from 2007-2017. To conceptualise the critical national identity, the theoretical framework is based on Anderson’s (1991) Imagined Communities. A mix method approach is adopted which comprised of corpus analysis of opinion articles, sentiment analysis of blogs and a survey.Item DEVELOPING COMPUTER ASSISTED READING MATERIALS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH TO PAKISTANI MAINSTREAM SCHOOL DYSLEXIC STUDENTS OF ELEMENTARY LEVEL(UMT, Lahore, 2023) MUHAMMAD ASIFThe present study aims to develop and gauge the impact of indigenously developed computer assisted reading materials, based on the reading problems, reading needs and effective teaching strategies as perceived by the English language teachers and guardians of Pakistani mainstream school dyslexic students, on their English language performance. Four lessons from Punjab Textbook Board‘s English of class VI were purposively selected and the materials were developed under the guidance of Mayer (2005)‘s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Reading disability checklist was used for the screening of dyslexic students and the purposively selected thirty students were further divided in two (control and experimental) groups homogenously. The control group continued learning through conventional methodology whereas the experimental group was taught through these materials for six weeks.