PAKISTANI ENGLISH

Pakistan and Languages

Pakistan lies to the North West of the Indian Sub-Continent. It has 69 languages listed by the international agencies. However, major languages are not more than15. English is one of these languages. According to the UN the number of Urdu and English speakers is given below:

Urdu Speakers 104,000,000 (1990)

English Speakers 148,166,000 (UN: 1998)

English is used in a trilingual setting in Pakistan where we observe it existing along with the regional language of that area that is vastly variable.

English Evolves

English as we know it today is the culmination of the evolution process of more than a millennium. English is the language that enjoys the unshared status of the language of the world. This language has made a long journey to reach this apex or pinnacle. The journey started with the arrival of the Angels, the Saxons and the Jutes in areas now known as Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angels came from Englaland and their language was called Englisc – from which the words England and English are derived.

English passing through the phases of Old English and Middle English took the form of Modern English in roughly about 16th century. With the colonial rule of England in the sub-continent this language made its way to the areas now included in Pakistan. We can say that English was transplanted in Pakistan, like most African and Asian countries, during the colonial rule.

Pakistan and English

Being the language of the foreign rulers it was not welcomed by the masses, though the ruling class of Pakistan has had a strong inclination towards this language since the very start. Secondly most of the areas included in Pakistan were not directly under the influence of the British like Baluchistan, a large part of NWFP now Khyber Pakhtoonkha and interior parts of Sind. As a result, English stayed alienated in the culture of common people of these areas. It’s the result of this behaviour with English that Pakistani dialect is considered distinct from other dialects of English in the world.

After the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, English became Pakistan`s de facto official language, and this status of English got formalized in the constitution of 1973. At the time of independence, indigenous languages could not be made to run the bureaucratic mode of government inherited by the British. The use of English continued for ‘system maintenance’.

Status and Role of English in Pakistan

English enjoys a superior status in Pakistan not only as an official language but also as an important medium of instruction at schools, colleges and universities, especially at the level of professional education. Besides, in all social cadres, in all segments of our society almost all conversation in whatever language has a significant English component.

Pakistani English is heavily influenced by Pakistan's regional languages as well as English of other nations. Many words or terms from Urdu, such as 'cummerbund', have entered the global language and are also found in Pakistan. In addition the area which is now Pakistan was home to the largest garrisons of the British Indian Army (such as Rawalpindi and Peshawar) this combined with the post-partition influence of the Pakistan Military has ensured that many military terms have entered the local jargon.

The type of English taught (and preferred) is British English. The heavy influence and penetration of American culture through television, films and other media, especially computer, has brought in great glimpses of American English that are in the process of making a complete picture out of it to fit in existing British mode of Pakistani English.

The contact between Urdu and English started from the borrowing of vocabulary. This act of borrowing was mutual. As a result of this bilingualism, the borrowing of English into local languages, notably Urdu, was extended to larger units than borrowing of words. The social interaction between two communities was, however, limited. This interaction took place between individuals who ruled the country and those who took jobs with them. Consequently English was largely used for written purposes among the Indians.

The British brought about segregation in the Indian population by introducing two systems of education-one through the medium of English, the other through the medium of Urdu. This came to mean English for the rich only. The education of English, at the time of independence, was deeply enmeshed in a skein of economic, political and social problems. After independence, the task to correct the wrongs was huge and needed radical changes. Unfortunately no such reformation did take place.

Functions of English in Pakistan

The functions of English in Pakistan can be described as the following four:

Regulatory (Administration)

Instrumental (Education)

Inter Personal (Personal Communication)

Creative (Literature)

Specific Features of Pakistani English

Some peculiar features of Pakistani English will be discussed here. These features include Vocabulary, Grammar, etc.

Vocabulary of Pakistani English

Pakistani English contains many unique terms, as well as terms which are utilized somewhat differently in Pakistan. Examples.

Opening/closing an object refers to turning something on or off. This is due to the verbs for to open and to close being the same as the verbs for to turn on and to turn off in Urdu and other Pakistani languages.

Shopper means a shopping bag, rather than a person who is shopping, the latter is referred to as a customer.

His/her meter has turned means that the person has lost his/her temper. Usually used for a sudden outburst, one which is construed as unreasonable.

Got no lift—received no attention or assistance from someone. On parade—being at work or at a set activity. Usually (though not always) in the

context of starting something for the first time. For example, I have been hired by the company, on parade from next Monday.

Out of station—out of town Become a direct Sergeant—be promoted out of turn/ given responsibility and

authority very early. Often in the context that a person is out of his/her depth. For example, no wonder that team has failed so badly, leader was a direct Sergeant. Usually "Sergeant" is replaced by "Havaldar" the equivalent rank in the Pakistan Army.

First Class—means top quality; often used by shopkeepers and salesmen to donate good quality.

Tight—high quality, or aesthetically pleasing and desirable. Often to describe physical attractiveness, usually of females, e.g. Ali is going out with a very tight girl.

Miss is used to address or refer to female teachers, whatever their marital status, e.g. Yes, I have done my homework, Miss. Less commonly used to refer to women colleagues or subordinates.

Madam is used to address and refer to females in positions of authority, usually a superior, e.g. madam has ordered me to get the figures for last years sales. Can also be used as a noun, e.g. she is the madam of that department meaning she is the head of the department, without it being derogatory.

Sir is used for a male superior, often combined with their name or used as a noun. E.g. Is Sir in? Or Sir Raza wants to see you in his office as soon as possible.

Do the needful; perform/complete or abstain from doing the required action. E.g. I have enclosed the instructions in the letter, please follow and do the needful.

Well left—avoided artfully, often a tricky situation; from cricket, the term "well left" is applied when a batsman chose not to play a potentially dangerous delivery, e.g. I well left that offer, it could have caused many problems.

Threw/received a googly—an unexpected situation arose, a person was surprised, often unpleasantly, e.g. had just settled down and then got the googly about the transfer. From googly, a delivery in cricket.

Yorker—a sudden, dangerous and potentially devastating situation; similar use to googly, but usually has a certain amount of danger attached to it. my mother's heart attack while we were hiking in the mountains hit like a Yorker, we were far from any medical help. From Yorker another type of cricket delivery. Also used in a similar manner; bouncer.

Hit middle stump—did an action in such a manner that there is little room for further action, or a decisive blow, e.g. really hit middle stump last year on that contract

Master Sahib, contracted to Ma'Sahib—used to refer to a master craftsman. The term is now however used more frequently to refer to tailors and carpenters.

Drinking a cigarette/cigar—smoking a cigarette. This is due to the verbs for smoking being the same as the verbs for drinking in Urdu and other Pakistani languages.

Spellings of Pakistani English

Pakistani English follows the same spelling patterns as we have in British English. This fact is explicit especially in Pakistani educational sector. There is no doubt we have been experiencing a wave of change in spelling patterns with the invasion of computer on our lives. Sometimes we tend to write color instead of colour or program in place of programme but these spellings have not yet got credibility with Pakistan`s examination system where conventional checking of papers compels students to follow the British spelling patterns.

Grammar of Pakistani English

The most fundamental difference between English and Pakistani languages is word order. English has SVO word order, whereas Pakistani languages have SOV word order. But his difference does not create any difficulty. The nucleus sentence in Pakistani language has S and V components. Hence in sentences without O, the basic sentence structure of both English and Pakistani language is the same SV.

Not only that the object in most Urdu clauses is context dependent, it is possible to use clauses without S segment. These are not necessarily structural differences. These are differences in the use of language. But the fact that one may end up translating an Urdu clause without object or without subject in the process of literal translation is important. For example one can say in Urdu:

Maza a gea x,y,z…. enjoyedTaste came

Jawab de dia x,y,z…. replied, refusedAnswer gave

These are mere verbs in Urdu but these can be used as complete sentences.

Conclusion

English is the bane of the existence of many Pakistani students. But in Pakistan, it is the passport for advancement, it is the official language and it assumes ever greater significance because of the effects of globalisation. But the vast majority of Pakistani students struggle with it. It is not their mother tongue. It doesn’t help matters that a great many of them do not begin studying it until after they have completed their primary education. Pakistan has madrassas, Urdu medium schools, English medium schools and the more exclusively expensive schools.