Linguistics and Literature Review

Symbiosis of Nature and Ethical Consciousness: Eco-Buddhist Themes in Kaleem Omar’s Poetry

Malik Allah Nawaz Khan, Dr Ayesha Akram — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 05:35:30 +0000

This paper analyzes the intersection of ecological awareness and literary expression in Kaleem Omar’s poetry set against the backdrop of Pakistan’s heightened vulnerability to climate change and environmental degradation. It is an endeavour to view South Asian literature through the lens of an indigenous environmental theory, i.e., Eco-Buddhism, to highlight its ecological undertones. Employing Eco-Buddhism as a theoretical framework, the paper conducts a thematic content analysis of Kaleem Omar’s selected poems. These poems have been analyzed to unravel the subtle dynamics between human activities, natural environments, and the ethical considerations entwined in them. His poetry reflects a profound engagement with environmental issues, articulating concerns about societal indifference and the moral complexities of human dominion over nature. In his poems, he views nature as a sacred being that must be revered and conserved. By integrating the Buddhist ethos of interconnectedness and non-violence with the concerns of ecocriticism, this research underscores the potential of South Asian Eco-poetic narratives in advocating environmental consciousness and addressing ecological crises.

Language Shift Phenomenon: A Case Study of Shina Language

Arif Hussain, Muhammad Nawaz, Sohbat Ali — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study has investigated the domination of English and Urdu over the Shina language, which is spoken in the mountainous regions of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It has examined the degree to which Shina speakers have maintained or shifted away from their mother tongue. The data was collected from five Shina-speaking families residing in the Nagar district using purposive sample techniques. These families belong to various walks of life with a diverse representation of experiences. The total pool of the sample includes twenty-six respondents. The data was gathered through 30-minute interviews along with the observations. The recordings were made with the participants’ consent. Subsequently, the recorded data was transcribed into International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) notation for a one-minute excerpt from each family member. In addition, the observed data were also taken into account during the analysis. The findings revealed that Shina speakers are more inclined towards Urdu than English. The research has specified that older speakers use the Shina language in all domains of their lives, while their children prefer to use English and Urdu.

Tracing the Narratives of Scapegoating: An Allportian Examination of Brick Lane

Muhammad Sadaqat Tahir, Farrukh Nadeem — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Brick Lane by Monica Ali centers on the themes of migration,
displacement, institution of marriage, identity crises, misrepresentation
and so forth. The work has been explored from these aspects but the new
dimensions within this context have not been examined comprehensively.
This paper aims to investigate the motif of scapegoating in the novel,
which draws upon Gordon W. Allport’s conception. Scapegoating, for
Allport, manifests itself in different characters that project their failures
and frustrations to other people who are powerless and silenced. In its
South Asian backdrop, it is blaming, killing, or scarifying a person or a
group of people for personal, societal reasons or to attain certain kinds of
outcomes. In case of Brick Lane, Nazneen is scapegoated by her parents
when they choose Chanu, forty years old and an ugly person, as her
husband. The paper will attempt to go beyond the mythological
implications of scapegoating by employing it as a theoretical framework.
Moreover, the question of a human being, as a modern scapegoat, in the
present time will be delineated. Scapegoating functions on different levels
depending upon the contexts where it is exercised. The objectives of this
study are to highlight the factors enhancing the victimization by blocking
the ways of empowerment. The analytical mood of inquiry will be used to
conduct the research.

From Verse to Vogue: Inter-Genre Hybridity and Intertextual Multimodality in Pakistan’s Commercial Culture

Salma Naeem — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study focuses on how genre hybridity and multimodality are combined
to bring innovation and promote commercialism. There has been a gap in
previous literature on how genres are combined innovatively and how it can
be employed for economic and commercial industry. The study, therefore,
analyzes how genre hybridity and multimodality, as creative processes, are
combined to bring innovation and the types of modes employed to convey
meanings and achieve targets from the perspective of Pakistan’s fashion
industry. Theoretical triangulation consisting of Duff (2000), Bakhtin
(1986), and Bateman (2008, 2009, 2012, 2014) are used to examine genre
innovation. Hybridity is related to polyphony, dialogism, and heteroglossia,
and genre-wise hybridity is developed as a combination of two or more
genres to form a new one. Whereas, multimodal discourse, using semiotic
entities, can be seen as an ensemble of communicative practices . Data has
been collected from Manto’s website, a Pakistani clothing brand. The
mixed method data is analyzed by focusing on how Urdu poems are
embedded with genre in fashion industry to bring an innovation and to
promote commercialism. Hybridity is analyzed from the perspective of how
embedded elements develop a new genre especially from the perspective of
polyphony and dialogism, whereas semiotic modes, media and genre
structures are employed to explore multimodality. Findings focus on how
poetry, as one genre, brings innovation through hybridity and multimodality
that can positively out-turn commercialism.

Linguistic Impact: Exploring the Influence of Korean Dramas on Everyday Language of Pakistani Women

Asma Naz, Hafsa Qureshi — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:13:17 +0000

This study explores the linguistic and sociocultural impact of the Korean entertainment industry on Pakistani female audiences. This paper incorporates both, qualitative and quantitative methods of research. Grounded in Cultivation Theory, the research explores how prolonged exposure to Korean media shapes linguistic preferences and cultural inclinations. The long-term impact, due to the consumption patterns, unveiled the fact that there is an extensive impression of the Korean language on the language choices of Pakistani women. The reason behind the employment of such choices involves not only genuine appreciation but also staying updated with the trends of the world. The Korean language encompasses attractive intonation that captivates the attention of the listeners. In the research, sociocultural influence was highlighted because of the usage of Korean expressions in the daily use of the language of the participants. The present study investigated the wide range of Korean drama consumption, highlighted its linguistic impact, and the inspiration behind the language choices of the participants. Data was collected through a questionnaire to explore how exposure to Korean dramas affects language preferences and acquisition. For further research, this study also proposed some gateways between Urdu and Korean languages and the potential to incorporate diverse expressions in one’s language. The findings have provided the evidences of using Korean vocabulary and phrases in every day communication by Pakistani women in their informal conversation. Further, the study can be conducted to analyze the structural similarities between Pakistani and Korean languages which provide ease in adopting the Korean discourse.

Romanticizing the Monster: A Postmodern Study of L.J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries

Jonathan Caleb Imdad — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research explores the influence and impact of postmodernism on the transformation of monstrous archetypes in contemporary literature by focusing on L.J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries. The study primarily examines the romanticization and humanization of vampires and how monsters in the postmodern age no longer serve as evil antagonists. In the present research, a qualitative and explorative research design is used through a postmodern lens to argue that the concept of monstrosity embraces subjectivity and ambiguity in the modern world. Jean Francois Lyotard's description of the postmodern condition as a sense of skepticism toward dominant metanarratives is central to this shift, as it challenges classical binaries and dismantles rigid societal norms. This disposition of fluidity and relativity of meaning is exemplified in The Vampire Diaries through the portrayal of vampires as normal human beings as Smith strikes a delicate balance between their gruesome nature and the complexity of their character. The research draws on the concepts of identity, power, and morality to argue that these notions are subjective and even creatures like vampires are capable of love and care. This cultural shift suggests society's increasing embrace of diversity and complex interpretations of identity in the postmodern age. L.J. Smith’s work demonstrates how literary and cultural landscapes have evolved, resisting absolutism and celebrating multiplicity.