Department of English Language and Literature
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Higher degree by research can be a very different experience from postgraduate study. Research, either at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) or elsewhere in the world, opens up new fields of inquiry. When a student is studying hard for his/her degree, he/she wants to be rest assured that he/she is in the best hands.
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Item Deconstructing Pessimistic Discourse in the Plays of Tennessee Williams(University of Management & Technology, 2014) Ahmad Tabasum, IrshadThis 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. This is what brims the dramatic world of Williams with hope and expectancy. This study highlights the importance of determination in making the best of life in the worst situation. The agony of entrapment in the plays of Williams and self realization through the act of defiance to it, in fact, help us recognize our own humanity and our desire for a better world. Williams unveils the complex and unruly human feelings without ignoring their strength. The study critically evaluates the plays of Williams and claims that he is not a pessimist playwright because the saviors in his plays are more powerful than the killers. It explores how Williams seeks hope in creativity and regeneration in degeneration.Item Interpreting Dynamics of Courtroom Discourse: A Linguistic and Socio-Cultural Analysis of Selected Trials at the Civil High Court of Lahore(University of Management & Technology, 2017) Zainab AsgharThis study aims at dissecting legal discourse in selected courtroom trials through an emphasis on constraints of legal jargon, as opposed to the fluidity of language use in everyday settings, and the role served by socio-culturally determined assumptions in the verbal interaction between parties with conflicting claims and interests. The purpose is to see how the law's understanding of right and wrong is guided not so much by the intrinsic value of facts or events as by complexities involved in the coding and decoding of verbal signifying practices like the plurality of denotations and connotations, constructs of power and powerlessness subjects in society live by, etc. The works of Norman Fairclough, Michel Foucault, and those of Donald Black and William M. O'Barr provide the theoretical groundwork to this study. Data is gathered through participant observation, note taking and written notes of licensed records of court proceedings from the various hearings of four criminal trials at Civil High Court, Lahore. Qualitative research methodology is used for analyzing sub-events of discourse like the opening statements, witness questions, closing statements and sentencing, in order to note the strategies involved in the pursuit of the participants' verbal goals. This study provides insights on the language used in courtroom and how it affects a jury in making a decision regarding a criminal case. The study has incorporated a deep appreciation of how Jean-Francois Lyotard's famous designation of meaning-making processes as “language games” can be used for a specially critical perspective on verbal courtroom discourse since the latter represents a scenario in which a person's fate / life quite literally depends on the effectiveness of lingual choices of defendants, witnesses, advocates and prosecutors.Item Deconstructing Pessimistic Discourse in the Plays of Tennessee Williams(University of Management & Technology, 2014) Ahmad Tabasum, IrshadThis 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. This is what brims the dramatic world of Williams with hope and expectancy. This study highlights the importance of determination in making the best of life in the worst situation. The agony of entrapment in the plays of Williams and self realization through the act of defiance to it, in fact, help us recognize our own humanity and our desire for a better world. Williams unveils the complex and unruly human feelings without ignoring their strength. The study critically evaluates the plays of Williams and claims that he is not a pessimist playwright because the saviors in his plays are more powerful than the killers. It explores how Williams seeks hope in creativity and regeneration in degeneration.Item Dissecting Trump’s Show off Power under Van Dijk’s Strategies(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Ahmed Bilal KhanThis study explains the discursive approach with reference to power relation exercised in Donald Trump's speech. Being descriptive study under the qualitative paradigm, the data is in the form of words and utterances. The sample is based on the maiden speech of US President Donald Trump delivered at the 72nd session of Annual Head of States' Summit of United Nations' General Assembly, at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, Sept 19, 2017. This study takes into account the theory or Critical Discourse Analysis represented Van Dijk (1993) to evaluate the utterances that point out discursive strategies of power relation as an approach to manipulate “people's” intellect by the discourse structure of talk and text. The researcher primarily examines that among the strategies applied by Trump, the most used by him are the strategies of Self-Glorification to glorify Americans and strategy of Victimization to downgrade the other nations and countries. The outcome of this research reveals Donald Trump mirrors his power relation towards masses and nations through the discursive strategy of discourse. The purpose of power relation is to discursively delegitimize other people and races to victimizing, underrating yet discerning others with a view to portray himself more authoritative as compared to others. The structure of discourse is chiefly used to make the audience ideologically influenced and controlled. Discourse structure involves topics, schema and structure units that expose the authority toward others. Future investigators are proposed to carry out the study by probing power relation that is revealed in others like media, education and discourses.Item Use of Cohesive Ties: An Analysis of the English Language Writing of Undergraduate Students of UMT, Pakistan(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Ahsan, AmnaThe hegemony of English language at global level has enhanced its instrumental value. Pakistan is one of those countries where English is taught as a second language. Students need to learn English not only to progress through their academic programs but also to compete in the job market. The highest competitive exams of the homeland for Central Superior Services (CSS) mandates extraordinary skills in English language writing. The same is the case with private sector appointments where persons with better English language writing skills are preferred over the ones lacking this art. Learning a second language is a complex phenomenon. This study explored the difficulties faced by the undergraduate students while learning the art of English writing. It is a difficult task for a second language learner to write a coherent piece of text in English language with clarity and precision. In order to learn to write a coherent piece of text in which all linguistic elements are placed appropriately a conscientious effort is required. The instant study adopted Halliday and Hasan’s approach to textual cohesion in English writing. Halliday and Hasan, (1976) opine that a text has texture when it is linked through cohesive links. The target population of this research is 50 undergraduate students studying at University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. 25 students are from English medium school background and 25 students are from Urdu medium school background. Currently all the students are taking English courses in the same learning environment through the same teaching methodology. Their writings were reviewed by the researcher to explore their level of proficiency in English language writing and issues in the writing skills of the students, from the perspective of use of grammatical cohesive ties. The data was collected in three phases. In phase I, a questionnaire was filled by the students. In Phase II, an A2 level proficiency test was taken by the students. In phase III, students were asked to write an essay in English language. The data was analyzed in three phases. In phase I, the problems faced by the students in English language writing and the techniques they use to improve in this regard, were explored from the responses of students given in the questionnaire. In phase II, an A2 level proficiency test was analyzed to find out their proficiency level in English language writing. In phase III of the data analysis their essays were analyzed, writing problems were identified and tabulated. This analysis provided information about the proficiency level and errors of the students in use of grammatical cohesive ties in English language writing besides forming a supportive base for teaching context.Item Phonological Variants of /x/ and /r/ as Markers of Group Identity in the Speech Community of Walled Area of Lahore(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Hamza YaseenThis present study examines phonological variations and replacement in the variety of Punjabi language spoken in the walled area and non-walled area of Lahore. To reveal phonological variation and changes, 2 variants / r / and / x / in the variety of Punjabi language were analyzed. Qualitative research methodology was used in this study to answer the research questions as there was not the use of any numerical data in this research. Walled speech community had been analyzed and particularly, only those inhabitants who had been living in the walled area of Lahore since minimum last 30 years were the part of research population. Striking features have been noted at diverse linguistic levels, such as phonetics and phonology, lexicon and syntax. Labov (1966) argued that social class and group identity play a key role in linguistic variation. Labovian paradigm was considered appropriate to study variations and changes in Punjabi language of walled speakers. The data was collected through a representative sample of 20 respondents belonging to various age groups including male and female both groups. The respondents were living in both walled and non-walled areas of Lahore. Males and females of different age groups belong to walled and non-walled area of Lahore were selected equally. Pictures and recordings were used as tools of the research. Paraat Computer Software was used to analyze the sounds variations. The results showed a significant phonological variation and replacement as far as / r / was concerned as walled speakers clearly replaced the / r / phoneme with / ɽ / at the initial, middle and ending position of the words. But on the other hand, in the speech patterns of walled area, second variant / x / is only replaced with / h / only at the initial position of the word. They did not make any change at the middle and ending position of the word and spoke the phoneme / x / at the middle and the ending position of the words respectively. Considering the changes in the speech community of the walled area, there is significant result to rely on that the Punjabi language of walled area holds a tendency to be changed considerably in future.Item An Exploration of the Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies at the Tertiary Level In Pakistan(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Zara AnwarThe thesis deals with the elementary theme of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) and perceptions of the readers regarding learning vocabulary. A brief note on school education, corporal services, the instruments and teaching methodologies implemented by the educators for learning of English Vocabulary is presented. The study compares the perceptions of Pakistani undergraduates along two dimensions: a) Traditional VSL approach and Communicative VSL approach. Perceptions of male and female students regarding the two VSL approaches have also been compared. The research seeks solution for vocabulary learning problems, and therefore, descriptive method of research has been preferred. The results of the study reflect that the students have a marked preference for Traditional VSL as compared to Communicative VSL. different methodologies and their implementation is also classified by taking the view of male and female population, which is mutually a wide-ranging style in distinguishing the view of both the genders. The major finding is that 72.15% students I prefer. As compared to 72.15% responses for the traditional approach, their preference for Communicative VSL is only 55.90%. The study also finds out that there is not much difference between male and female students' perceptions about Traditional VSL and Communicative VSL. The present study will be useful in getting an insight into vocabulary learning practices in ESL setting in Pakistan. For future research it is recommended that the root cause of students' preference for Traditional VSL may be explored.Item Deconstructing Pessimistic Discourse in the Plays of Tennessee Williams(University of Management & Technology, 2014) Tabasum, Irshad AhmadThis 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. This is what brims the dramatic world of Williams with hope and expectancy. This study highlights the importance of determination in making the best of life in the worst situation. The agony of entrapment in the plays of Williams and self realization through the act of defiance to it, in fact, help us recognize our own humanity and our desire for a better world. Williams unveils the complex and unruly human feelings without ignoring their strength. The study critically evaluates the plays of Williams and claims that he is not a pessimist playwright because the saviors in his plays are more powerful than the killers. It explores how Williams seeks hope in creativity and regeneration in degeneration.Item Reduplication in Punjabi Language(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Sidrah HussainThe study examines the process of reduplication in Punjabi language. Various phonological, morphological, syntactical and semantic patterns are involved in making words reduplication in Punjabi language. There are two ways of reduplication in Punjabi language; total reduplication and partial reduplication. Total reduplication deals with repetition of the whole word while partial reduplication involves modification of vowel and consonants. This study has focused on reduplication at morphological level. In the linguistics literature, reduplication is used as a standard term with different phenomenon. Punjabi language is largely spoken in South Asia. Punjabi language is most commonly used in Pakistanand India. It is the language of Punjab. In the linguistics circle of Pakistan, Punjabi is an under-researched language and very rich in reduplication occurrences. The main purpose of this research is to investigate reduplication in Punjabi language. For this purpose, there is a great need to discover the repetition patterns in nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, etc. This research will examine full and partial reduplication in Punjabi language. The design utilizes a qualitative approach to research. The data is taken from Punjabi Text Books, Punjabi songs and Punjabi Videos. The current study is descriptive in nature. Under the influence of qualitative research, the researcher used Lexical Functional Grammar (LGF) approach promoted by Joan Bresnan and Ron Kaplan to describe the data. In Linguistics, Lexical Functional Grammar is a model grammar that provides a framework for examining both morphological structure and syntactic structures. Punjabi language ranges from total reduplication to partial reduplication such as alternation of consonant based morphemes, alternation of vowel based morphemes and rhyming words or echoic expressions. This research shows that due to partial reduplication new compound words are formed (coinage) and it also performs different semantics functions in Punjabi language. The data will be analyzed by word classes.Item Perceptions of teachers and students about the functions and usage of English to Urdu code-switching in Pakistani ESL Classroom(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Rana Muneeb-ur-RehmanThis topic of this research is the investigation of the perceptions and beliefs of Pakistani students and teachers concerning the usage of code-switching in the Pakistani ESL classroom. Functions and usage of code-switching are also examined in the context of the classroom. Forty teachers and eighty-six students belonging to Lahore, Pakistan, were the participants of this study. The data was collected through questionnaires. The results indicated that teachers generally perceived code-switching as an effective tool which could be employed to further enhance the process of language instruction. Nevertheless, some reservations were expressed by the teachers related to the adverse repercussions of code-switching. The opinions of the teachers conflicted with one another when it came to employing code-switching in the educational institutes, mainly in the classroom environment. This clash between opinions could be ascribed to the prevalent principles of monolingualism in the field of Second language acquisition (SLA). Students generally gave a positive response towards the usage of code-switching in classroom but not without reservations. Students believed that code-switching helped them in overcoming their lack of proficiency in English when it comes to peer to peer communication but were conflicted on the using code-switching in the classroom. These reservations are due the administrations’ and teachers’ encouragement of using English only in all contexts. Educational administration and teachers should develop strategies to employ code-switching in the classroom and minimize its negative effects rather than shunning it completely which would also give students the confidence to rely on this pedagogic tool for improvement in language learning.Item Violation of Maxims of Grice’s Cooperative Principle (CP) by Pakistani Politicians in TV Talk Shows(University of Management & Technology, 2016) Safeena QayyumThis research investigates and analyzes the violation of Maxims of Grice's Cooperative Principle (CP) by Pakistani politicians in Urdu TV talk shows. Special attention is paid to politicians' deliberate violation of Maxim of Relevance and resort to the technique of squabbling and bickering mostly to avoid referencing their incompetence and corruption. Further, the claim that the violations are intentional and purposeful ploys on the politicians' part to neutralize potential harm to their reputations is justified by extraordinary frequency of such phenomena as the anchors' lack of success in their overt attempts to ensure better adherence to the maxims of the said principle. Both Qualitative and Quantitative research methods are employed to analyze the participants' conversations, with tables and graphs indicating the frequency of relevant, partly relevant and irrelevant answers. The findings of the study point out that the frequency of irrelevant answers is quite high, politicians manipulate the conversation to achieve certain goals, it also highlight the fact that the conversation becomes ineffective when there is a violation of the maxims of Grice's CP. The study will be helpful for the students of media studies and language and communication as it stresses the significance of effective communication.Item Animated Cartoon Movies: An Innovative and Effective Teaching and Learning Tool in Enhancing English Story Writing Skills(University of Management & Technology, 2017) Zara SaleemIn PakistanEnglish language learners face many difficulties while they pass through the process of learning another language. Especially it is very difficult for the children to keep in mind all the rules of language use at an early age. In order to facilitate language learning in particular story writing skills, this study aims to target students'/subjects' creativity through inspirational and interesting animated cartoon movies. During the study the learners are given a free hand to formulate an expression devoid of reluctance towards learning the language and its rules. An experimental and purposive sampling technique was used to find out the effect of animated cartoon movies on students' story writing skills. After making the female students of grade VIII of a semi-government school watch cartoon movies, a series of story writing tests including a pre and post-test was conducted to find out its effect on English language learning. These tests were assessed on four different criteria including the assessment of language, vocabulary use, organization, and narrative techniques. The results of these scoring rubrics consisted of five points which were shown through graphic and numeric presentations.Item Women’s Preferred Linguistic Choices in Pakistani Context: An Analysis(University of Management & Technology, 2016) Khalil, SalmanThe purpose of this study was to explore the linguistic choices of Pakistani women using Urdu language. The linguistic choices of Pakistani women were also compared and contrasted with those described by Lackoff (1975). The data for this study was collected through the recordings of Pakistani talk shows and interviews downloaded from the internet. Three female participants were chosen for the study. The participants did not use the following during their conversation: self corrected grammar, indirect questions, tag questions and hedging devices. However, they did ask direct questions. Hence, the linguistic choices made by Pakistani women did not correspond to those of Lakoff (1975). Moreover, these linguistic choices proved not to be conscious choices that were related to a different speech style. Hence, the study rendered the fact that women in the Pakistani society were not in a subordinate position on the basis of the results of their linguistic choices, which were contrary to the results of Lakoff, R (1975) model of study. She claimed that women made self correction in grammar, asked indirect questions, used more hedging devices and used more tag questions and did not ask direct questions because of having a subordinate position in society. However, the findings of the study showed that in Pakistani perspective, women did not indulge into these practices and asked direct questions as they enjoyed equal status.Item Reading Comprehension Problems of EFL Learners at secondary level: A study of Urdu Medium Schools in Swat, KPK(University of Management & Technology, 2018) Shaukat NadiaAim of this study is to analyze the role of grammar and vocabulary knowledge in developing competence regarding reading comprehension in secondary school students of Swat, KPK. This study has also drawn a purpose to analyze the reading comprehension problems faced by students. The reading comprehension in L2 is considered very important especially in under developing countries. It is considered that the skills and traits of an individual influence his ability of reading comprehension. The factors which were considered important to determine the L2 reading comprehension of the nonnative people include: vocabulary, background knowledge, grammatical skills and comprehension skills. For this research study, 298 students of 9th and 10th grades were selected from four different schools of different tehsils of district Swat in KPK. They were taught English as their second language along with Pashto being their first one. Four types of tests were conducted which included: L2 reading comprehension tests, L2 vocabulary knowledge test, L2 grammar knowledge test and Perceptions of teachers and students regarding to L2 reading comprehension through structured questionnaires. The results suggested that the grammatical skills and vocabulary knowledge does not affect comprehension reading abilities. Comprehension itself is the most important determinant of such competence. Additionally, significant differences were found among comprehension reading performance with vocabulary knowledge and grammar knowledge of the student's. Moreover, students were perceived in troublesome situation regarding L2 reading comprehension whereas teachers found it easy. This study has implications for both academia and for practical field too.Item Teaching English Language through Literature(University of Management & Technology, 2017) Tehreen ShaukatThe present research focuses on the role of literature for teaching English language to the students. Literature enhances the knowledge of students, broadens their perceptions, improves their language skills and promotes their communicative competences. The current research has utilized Qualitative methodology. The primary source involves interviews from twelve professors/lecturers (eight foreign qualified and four locally qualified) teaching at the intermediate level colleges of Lahore in Pakistan. The facts extracted from the literature review (secondary source) and majority of the participants of the survey have revealed that different genres of literature such novel, drama, poetry, short fiction, play, etc. keeps the interest of the learners and creates awareness about the culture of English language. The teacher plays the role of a motivator for teaching language through literature by selecting authentic and engaging literary texts. The Personal Growth Model has been considered as the best model for teaching literature as it improves the language skills of the students and also develops their personalities by bringing them closer to the real-life situations. English should be considered as a medium of instruction in schools from the very start and it should be well comprehended by the students instead of learning it by rote or for just passing the exams. The traditional method of Grammar Translation Method should be replaced by including literature in the curriculum as it makes learning of the English language more functional. Hence, literature is a useful, interesting, inspiring and convenient way of teaching the English language to the students.Item A Pragmatic Analysis of Facial Emoji and Their Impact on Pakistani Millennial Facebook Communication.(University of Management and Technology, 2018) Aleena IslamThis study investigates the pragmatics of five facial Emoji (Winky, Laughter, Teary, Surprise, and Horny) by taking real sample of Facebook exchanges by Pakistani Millennial. The aim of the study is to determine whether Facial Emoji are just emotive building blocks in the transmissions of Pakistani Millennial exchanges or these are surrogates or substitutes for new linguistic trends in Millennial Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). In pragmatic analysis, this study explores multiple functions of Facial Emoji; as relational and contextual in meaning making or regulating and disambiguating communication. In order to identify Emoji pragmatics in Millennial Facebook exchanges data of 20 participants from Pakistani Millennial Facebook Homepage-Wall posts in the form of exchanges and transmissions were scanned and scrutinized. The participants of the study were divided into two cohorts of Millennial. First 10 participants were individuals born during 1980-1990, while the second cohort consisted of participants born during 1991-2000. Males and Females from each group in equal number were included to check the gendered perspective of Facial Emoji. This data were analyzed qualitatively through content analysis by using the theoretical framework of ‘Semiotics' and ‘Pragmatics' with Kress and Van Leeuwen's (1996) Multimodality. Politeness strategies and Face Threatening Acts (FTAs) in ‘Pragmatics' and MacCloud's (1994) model in multimodality are used to check Emoji's hybrid nature in two medium i.e. image and text. This descriptive analysis revealed that Emoji are cultural and gender specific. Age group, education, profession and online ‘Millennial Identity' are the influencing factors in Pakistani Millennial choices for employing the selected five Facial Emoji. Millennial socialization and communication varies in accordance with the individual personality traits. Over all, the Emoji paradigm is not a paramount shift in Millennial E- communicative norms to be awarded the status of an independent linguistic repertoire in Pakistani Millennial Facebook Exchanges.Item LAW AND RHETORIC; A STUDY OF PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE USED IN BAIL APPLICATIONS AT LAHORE COURTS.(University of Management and Technology, 2018) Abdul Majeed, AyeshaLanguage is not only used as a way of communication but many people correspondingly use it for persuasion by using different rhetoric devices present in the language. In the bail applications for instance, lawyers use these rhetoric devices to persuade the judges to control their responses. By using persuasive language, they make different claims about their clients on how they are innocent and should get the bail. Though, multiple researches have been done on persuasive language and how language is used in different situations to persuade people, the topic remains under-researched. The present study, for this reason, deals with textual analysis on the influential features of language used by the lawyers in the bail applications. This study provides a deep understanding of how language used by the lawyers can become persuasive in the bail applications. Understanding rhetoric equipped lawyers with the strategies they need to persuade judges successfully and get bail of clients. However, rhetoric is not a part of education in law schools. To explore the use of persuasive language in bail applications the study is drawn on the data collected from original bail applications and court’s orders regarding those bail applications. A model developed by Miles and Huberman (1994) is used in this research to summarize the collected data and it also helps to analyze the collected data. Though, the researcher selects mix method approach to analyze the collected data. Under the broader paradigm of qualitative research design, the researcher selects a framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA) presented by Fairclough in (1989) along with the model developed by Miles and Huberman (1994), especially developed to qualitatively analyze data and casual comparative research under the broader paradigm of quantitative research design.Item A Comparative Analysis of US Presidential Debates 2016 on the Use of Speech Acts and Grice Maxims by Clinton and Trump(University of Management and Technology, 2018) Sumra FarheenThe language plays an important role in winning the hearts of the people and gaining their support. The political speeches/debates made by various politicians have been analyzed from different perspectives by the researchers at national and international level. In politica l speeches/debates politicians interact with the audience with the help of language. Language is used by politicians not only as a medium of communication but also as a tool to influence the public. The present research attempts to analyze US presidential debates 2016 made by Hillary Clinton and Donald trump during the US election 2016. The debates have been analyzed within the framework of Searle's Typology of Speech Acts and Grice Maxims. The data consisted of the answers of the questions asked by both the candidates. Moreover, the questions have been categorized according to the main themes of the debates. The study analyzes the use of speech acts by the candidates in order to make their language more influential and persuasive. They employed assertive, commissive, directive, declarative and expressive speech acts while answering the questions. The study revealed that Trump employed more assertive and directive speech acts as compared to Hillary whereas she employed more commissive speech acts as compared to Trump. The study also revealed that candidates followed/violated maxims of quantity, relevance and manner consciously or unconsciously in order to hide certain information or to show commitment to their words and promises. Trump violated more and followed less number of maxims as compared to Clinton. The employed speech acts and followed/violated maxims by both the candidates have been presented in the form of a table along with each question. The percentages of the employed speech acts and followed/viola ted maxims have been presented in the form of bar-charts and pi-charts.Item A Study of Semantic Change of Urdu Loan Words From the Arabic Language.(University of Management and Technology, 2018) Amina KhalidThis study aims to explore the semantic change of the borrowed words from the Arabic language in the Urdu language. The relation between Arabic and Urdu language is very strong and the borrowing of numerous words from Arabic for the Urdu language has been under study for a long period of time. The main objective of this research paper is to explore the nature and direction of the semantic change of borrowed words from Arabic in the Urdu language. Data is collected from dictionaries 6 of both languages. 125 words were selected, listed and analysed. The analysis of data is based on the contrastive analysis. The paper concludes that the Urdu language borrowed words at a high frequency from the Arabic language. These words have gone through some semantic change processes and used with different meanings and contexts. A high frequency of words can be seen in nature of this change in which the entire meaning of the word has shifted. However, in direction of change, it is concluded that these words were changed from positive to negative sense or vice versa but the majority of words have neutral change.Item Reading Comprehension Problems of EFL Learners at secondary level(University of Management and Technology, 2017) Shaukat, NadiaAim of this study is to analyze the role of grammar and vocabulary knowledge in developing competence regarding reading comprehension in secondary school students of Swat, KPK. This study has also drawn a purpose to analyze the reading comprehension problems faced by students. The reading comprehension in L2 is considered very important especially in under developing countries. It is considered that the skills and traits of an individual influence his ability of reading comprehension. The factors which were considered important to determine the L2 reading comprehension of the nonnative people include: vocabulary, background knowledge, grammatical skills and comprehension skills. For this research study, 298 students of 9th and 10th grades were selected from four different schools of different tehsils of district Swat in KPK. They were taught English as their second language along with Pashto being their first one. Four types of tests were conducted which included: L2 reading comprehension tests, L2 vocabulary knowledge test, L2 grammar knowledge test and Perceptions of teachers and students regarding to L2 reading comprehension through structured questionnaires. The results suggested that the grammatical skills and vocabulary knowledge does not affect comprehension reading abilities. Comprehension itself is the most important determinant of such competence. Additionally, significant differences were found among comprehension reading performance with vocabulary knowledge and grammar knowledge of the student’s. Moreover, students were perceived in troublesome situation regarding L2 reading comprehension whereas teachers found it easy. This study has implications for both academia and for practical field too.