INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF ENGLISH IN LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES OF MULTILINGUAL PAKISTANI CITIES: IDENTITY AND GLOBALIZATION

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the linguistic landscape of three prominent urban centers in Pakistan namely Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad by conducting 600 analyses of public and commercial signs and 20 semi-structured interviews. This research is based on the "linguistic landscape" framework proposed by Landry & Bourhis (1997), which focuses on the distribution of languages, the script types of the languages, their hierarchy and the motivations of the sign producers. The results show an overwhelming predominance of English signage, which makes up 52% of all signage despite using English as first language by less than 8% of the population. In terms of English usage, the highest number is in Islamabad (74%), followed by Lahore (65%) and Rawalpindi (59%). 31% of signs are in Urdu, which is mainly used for national and cultural identity, and 3% are in regions, structurally marginalized. The study uncovers a distinct feature of Romanization of Urdu words in 9% of the signs, which represents the emergent hybrid linguistic identities of the urban youth of Pakistan. The qualitative data shows that the sign producers link English to modernity, prestige and social mobility, and Urdu to cultural rootedness. The study suggests that the deep sociolinguistic inequalities inscribed in the Pakistani urban signage, stemming from colonial history and postcolonial aspirations require policy interventions for greater visibility of indigenous languages in public space.