Analysis of Urdu borrowed words in Mohsin Hamid’s selected novels: influence of Urdu on Author’s writing style.
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Date
2025
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UMT . Lahore
Abstract
The research examines how Urdu borrowings impact the literary style of Mohsin Hamid by exploring their linguistic integration and narrative functions as well as their cultural significance. This study adopts corpus analysis to detect Urdu loanwords in Hamid's selected publications while studying frequency, collocation patterns, and contextual roles of borrowed words. Based on Fishman’s Domain Analysis framework (Fishman, 1972), the study classifies borrowings into three categories; kinship, clothing, and food related terminologies. A mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative discourse analysis with quantitative linguistic examination, reveals that these borrowings are not merely stylistic but serve as markers of identity, tradition, and sociopolitical context. The findings reveal that kinship terms have the highest frequency among the shortlisted borrowed words, indicating the centrality of familial relationships in Hamid’s narratives. The results suggest that Hamid purposefully includes Urdu words in his text to establish cultural accuracy along with ensuring accessibility for a global audience. This research contributes to the study of linguistic hybridity in South Asian Anglophone literature, highlighting how Urdu borrowings shape Hamid’s narrative style and cultural representation.