Grammatical Gender and Cognition: Impact of Urdu, Pashto and Punjabi on Forming Thoughts and Culture

Abstract

The system of grammatical gender in Urdu, Pashto, and Punjabi languages influences the development of mental processes and cultural perception of the nouns used in these languages. This study examines the impact of linguistic structures on cultural understandings and cognitive considerations in these languages. This study is conducted by using a mixed-method approach. The targeted population is undergraduate private university students aged from 18 to 25 years on thinking patterns and cultural considerations. A mixed-method approach is used in this study. Data is gathered from 144 participants through linguistic and mental experiments. Findings of this study suggest that grammatical gender systems have a crucial role in constructing mental representations, specifically categorization, memorization and conceptualization; and cultural attitudes, specifically values, attitudes and gender roles. This study contributes to the current debate on linguistic relativity, looking at the impact of Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto and Punjabi languages on the thought patterns and cultures of different regions of Pakistan.

 Keywords: Grammatical gender, cognition, language, thought, culture, linguistic relativity.