The interaction between language identity, pedagogy, and the effects on indigenous languages (Urdu and Sindhi): A case study of undergraduate institutes of Sindh, Pakistan

Authors

  • Habibullah Pathan

    Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University, Sohar 311, Oman
  • Ghadah Al Murshidi

    United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, UAE
  • Shazia Ayyaz

    Al Zahra College for Women, Muscat 112, Oman
  • Illahi Bakhsh

    University of Sindh, Jamshoro 59201, Pakistan
  • Urooj Fatima Alvi

    University of Education, Lahore 05450, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59400/fls.v6i2.1176

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to examine the correlation between language and identity, as well as the influence of English language instruction in Pakistan on Pakistani linguistic identities. While English language learners use a variety of teaching and learning strategies, they also come from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and have varied learning objectives. The data collection involved two hundred undergraduates from each of the two campuses of the University of Sindh, one located in Jamshoro and the other in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Additionally, interviews were conducted with five English language instructors who were all affiliated with the University of Sindh. Qualitative methods were utilized by the researcher for this investigation. The researcher employed two survey questionnaires, one for teachers and one for students, as a crucial tool for data gathering. The findings of the article demonstrate that language plays a significant role in expressing one's social or personal identity, serving as a single characteristic of language usage for identification. Moreover, the article also examined the influence of English on two Pakistani languages, Urdu and Sindhi. Following the acquisition of English language skills, individuals may perceive changes in their level of competence, communication style, and value systems. The inclination towards code-mixing in public discourse can be attributed to the English language, as Pakistanis are highly conscious of their social status and aspire to appear well-educated.

Keywords:

culture; English; identity; image; languages; Pakistan

References

Ashraf, H. (2007). A Study of English Language Learning as an Element Affecting the Social Capital of the People of Pakistan [PhD thesis]. National University of Modern Languages.

Bagiyan, A. Y., Shiryaeva, T. A., Tikhonova, E. V., & Mekeko, N. M. (2021). The real value of words: how target language linguistic modelling of foreign language teaching content shapes students’ professional identity. Heliyon. 7, e06581. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06581

Barkhuizen, G., & de Klerk, V. (2006). Imagined identities: Pre-immigrants’ narratives on language and identity. International Journal of Bilingualism. 10(3), 277–299.

Bhabha, H. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.

Canagarajah, S. (2010). Achieving community. In: Nunan D, Choi J (editors). Language and culture: Reflective narratives and the emergence of identity. Routledge. pp. 41–49.

Clément, R., & Norton, B. (2021). Ethnolinguistic vitality, identity and power: investment in SLA. J. Lang. Soc. Psychol. 40, 154–171. doi: 10.1177/0261927X20966734

Dagenais, D., Moore, D., Lamarre, S., et al. (2009). Linguistic landscape and language awareness. In: Shohamy E, Gorter D (editors). Linguistic landscape: Expanding the scenery. Routledge. pp. 253–269.

Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2021). Investment and motivation in language learning: What’s the difference? Lang. Teach. 56, 29–40. doi: 10.1017/S0261444821000057

Eckert, P. (2000). Linguistic variation as social practice. Blackwell.

Huizhu, H. (2012). Mutual influences between learners’ identity construction and English language learning in the first year of university study in China [Master’s thesis]. The University of Hong Kong.

Kachru, B. B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolingusitic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In: Qurik R, Widdowson H (editors). English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures. Cambridge University Press. pp. 11–36.

Kinginger, C. (2004). Alice doesn’t live here anymore: Foreign language learning and identity construction. In: Pavlenko A, Blackledge A (editors). Negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts. Multilingual Matters. pp. 219–242.

Lynch, R., &. Motha, S. (2023). Epistemological entanglements: decolonizing understandings of identity and knowledge in English language teaching. Int. J. Educ. Res. 118, 102118. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102118

Macias, H. (2023). Language as a marker of cultural identity and commodification: the language socialization practices of multilingual, Latina/Mexican American mothers. Crit. Inq. Lang. Stud. 20, 77–104. doi: 10.1080/15427587.2022.2102010

Mansoor, S. (2002). The Role of English in Higher Education in Pakistan [PhD thesis]. University of Reading of Reading, England.

Marsh, M. (2002). The shaping of Ms.Nicholi: The discursive fashioning of teacher identities. Qualitative Studies in Education. 15(3), 333–347.

Norton Peirce, B. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly. 23(3), 401–420.

Norton, B. (1997). Language, identity, and the ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly. 31(3), 409–429.

Norton, B. (2000). Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. Longman.

Norton, B. (2001). Non-participation, imagined communities and the language classroom. In: Breen M (editors). Learner contribution to language learning: New directions in research. Pearson Education. pp. 159–171.

Norton, B. (2010). Language and identity. In: Hornberger N, McKay S (editors). Sociolinguistics and language education. Multilingual Matters. pp. 349–369.

Pavlenko, A., &Blackledge, A. (2004). Negotiation of identities in multicultural contexts. Multilingual Matters.

Peng, A., & Patterson, M. M. (2022). Relations among cultural identity, motivation for language learning, and perceived English language proficiency for international students in the United States. Lang. Cult. Curric. 35, 67–82. doi: 10.1080/07908318.2021.1938106

Petreñas, C., Lapresta, C., & Huguet, Á. (2018). Redefining cultural identity through language in young Romanian migrants in Spain. Lang. Intercult. Commun. 18, 225–240. doi: 10.1080/14708477.2016.122141

Pidduck, R. J., Shaffer, M. A., Zhang, Y., et al. (2022). Cultural intelligence: an identity lens on the influence of cross-cultural experience. J. Int. Manag. 28, 100928. doi: 10.1016/j.intman.2022.100928

Rahman, T. (1997). The Urdu-English Controversy in Pakistan. Modern Asian Studies. 31(1), 177-207.

Rahman, T. (2004). Language Policy and Localization in Pakistan: Proposal for a Paradigmatic Shift.

Song, J. (2010). Language ideology and identity in transnational space: Globalization, migration, and bilingualism among Korean families in the USA. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 13(1), 23–42.

Rentschler, R., Fillis, I., & Lee, B. (2023). National identity and the future of branding the arts. Futures. 145, 103078. doi: 10.1016/j.futures.2022.103078

Sang, Y. (2023). Uncovering language socialization mechanisms in language teacher identity formation: an ethnographic study in a Chinese culture class. Linguist. Educ. 73, 101138. doi: 10.1016/j.linged.2022.101138

Spiliotopoulos, V., & Carey, S. (2005). Investigating the role of identity in writing using electronic bulletin boards. The Canadian Modern Language Review. 62(1), 87–109.

Ting-Toomey, S. (2015). Identity negotiation theory. In: The International Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Communication. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1–10. doi: 10.1002/9781118540190.wbeic129

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge University Press.

Woodward, K. (2002). Understanding identity. Arnold.

Zhang, L., & Hwang, Y. (2023). “Should I change myself or not?”: examining (re) constructed language teacher identity during the COVID-19 pandemic through textmining. Teach. Teach. Educ. 127, 104092. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2023.104092

Downloads

How to Cite

Pathan, H., Al Murshidi, G., Ayyaz, S., Bakhsh, I., & Alvi, U. F. (2024). The interaction between language identity, pedagogy, and the effects on indigenous languages (Urdu and Sindhi): A case study of undergraduate institutes of Sindh, Pakistan. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.59400/fls.v6i2.1176

Issue

Vol. 6 , Iss. 2 (June 2024)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2024 Habibullah Pathan, Ghadah Al Murshidi, Shazia Ayyaz, Illahi Bakhsh, Urooj Fatima Alvi

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.