Linguistic Imperialism and Elite Reproduction through English Policy in Pakistani Three Tier Education: A Critical Postcolonial Discourse Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates linguistic imperialism and discourse colonialism in Pakistani English-medium instruction (EMI) education policy using Critical Postcolonial Discourse Analysis. Rooted in Pakistan's colonial linguistic legacy, the research examines how EMI policy discourse constructs linguistic hierarchies and embeds postcolonial ideological patterns. Guided by Phillipson's Linguistic Imperialism theory and Fairclough's three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis model, integrated with postcolonial perspectives from Bhabha and Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, the study adopts a qualitative, interpretivist paradigm. Data were collected through documentary analysis of official policy texts, drawn from a population of twelve (N = 12) national and provincial EMI policy documents published between 2009 and 2025. Using purposive, criterion-based sampling, six (n = 6) documents were selected, including the National Education Policy 2009, National Education Policy 2017–2025, and the Single National Curriculum 2020–21. Findings revealed five recurring discourse codes: 'globalist legitimation,' 'functional bifurcation,' 'implementation erasure,' 'colonial residue naming,' and 'elite/mass stratification,' with colonial genealogy consistently underacknowledged across the corpus. Results demonstrate that Pakistani EMI policy discourse reproduces linguistic hierarchy through naturalization and omission rather than overt assertion, extending linguistic imperialism theory to granular textual analysis of national policy.

Keywords: Linguistic Imperialism, Discourse Colonialism, Postcolonial Theory, English-Medium Instruction, Critical Discourse Analysis, Language Policy, Pakistan, Linguistic Hierarchy, Fairclough, Hegemony