CODE-SWITCHING AS AN IDENTITY MARKER IN PAKISTANI URBAN FICTION: CORPUS EVIDENCE FROM 50 NOVELS

Abstract

Sociolinguistically speaking, code-switching as a shifting from one language to another during conversation has long enjoyed attention but its identity-construct in literary discourse has been largely neglected particularly with reference to the postcolonial Pakistani context. This research explores the phenomenon of code mixing as a culture identity marker in Pakistani urban fiction based on 50 novels. It investigates the ways in which code-switching reflects social and cultural identity, power relationships, and the permeability of language boundaries in urban Pakistan. Drawing on corpus linguistics and discourse analysis, this research shows that code-switching is a strategic linguistic resource to negotiate class, ethnicity, gender and social status in Pakistani fiction. The results demonstrate that code-switching is not only a language device, but also the social and cultural symbol to depict well-rounded characters, urban diverseness and reify the dichotomy between traditionalism and modernity. This paper adds to the emerging body of literature on multilingualism in literature as well as offers an important discussion of language, identity and cultural representation in the South Asian literary canon.

Keywords: Code-switching, Identity, Pakistani Fiction, Urban Literature, Corpus Linguistics, Postcolonial Literature