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Abstract
One of the main causes of change in the English language in Pakistan is Urdu-English code-switching. This study investigates the possible influence of Urdu on the linguistic system of Pakistani English. The influence of Urdu makes a great impact on the phonology, morphology, semantics and syntax of the English language. By analysing data from written Pakistani English, this paper is an attempt to discuss various lexical, grammatical and structural features occurring in Pakistani English due to Urdu-English code-switching. These features are also common to spoken English; rather it has less or no restrictions in this regard. The data analysis clearly reveals that these features might be at variance with Standard British English but they are shared by the other non-native varieties of English.
Keywords: code-switching, non-native varieties of English, Pakistani English
Introduction
Despite getting rid of colonialism, the English language still continues to remain an integral part of culture, literature and history of post-colonial societies. Pakistan seems to be no exception in this regard. English in Pakistan enjoys very prestigious status. But at the same time the English language is going through a period of change in Pakistan. It is no longer the colonial language of imperial supremacy. In the Pakistani context, we can easily note various changes in the English language which are the result of the interaction of two different codes, i.e., Urdu and English. Most of the educated Pakistani bilinguals make effective and regular use of Urdu and English in their daily life to cooperate with others and coordinate different activities. In linguistics, this phenomenon is called code-switching. Poplack (1980) defines code-switching as the "alternation of two languages within a single discourse, sentence or constituent."
When two languages come into contact with each other, they naturally affect each other's vocabulary, phonology and grammar. So, several changes can be observed in the English language in Pakistan as it is being used in non-native context. These lexical, grammatical and syntactic features of Pakistani English are held in common with other non-native varieties of English. Most of the non-native varieties have achieved the goal of English as an International Language (EIL), i.e., "international intelligibility" (Hung, 2002). In other words, English is the best choice for non-native speakers in communicating with native speakers in...