PAKISTANI ENGLISH

SUBMITTED BY; REEHA SHERAZI (16)

INTRODUCTION
Pakistani English refers to the English language as spoken and
written in Pakistan. It is shaped by the linguistic and cultural
influences of Pakistan, incorporating local expressions, idioms,
and grammatical structures. While it follows the basic rules of
English, Pakistani English may have some distinct features, such
as specific vocabulary choices and pronunciation patterns,
reflecting the linguistic diversity and cultural context of
Pakistan.

HISTORY
The history of Pakistani English is intertwined with the colonial
past of the Indian subcontinent. When the British East India
Company established its rule in the 19th century, English
became the language of administration and education. As a
result, English gained prominence in the region, including what
is now Pakistan.
After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, English retained its status
as one of the official languages alongside Urdu. English
continued to be used in government, education, and various
professional fields. The influence of British English persisted,
but over time, Pakistani English developed its own unique
characteristics, influenced by the local languages and cultures.
Today, Pakistani English reflects a blend of British English
norms and local linguistic influences. It has become an integral
part of the country's multilingual and multicultural identity,
serving as a means of communication across various regions and
communities in Pakistan.

STATUS & ROLE OF ENGLISH IN

PAKISTAN
English enjoys a superior status in Pakistan not only as an
official language but also as an important medium of instruction
at schools, colleges and universities, especially at the level of
professional education.The type of English taught (and
preferred) is British English.
English in Pakistan serves many functions:
 Regulatory (Administration)
 Instrumental (Education)
 Inter-Personal (Personal Communication)
 Creative (Literature)

FEATURES OF PAKISTANI ENGLISH

Some peculiar features of Pakistani English will be discussed
here. These features include Vocabulary, Grammar, etc.

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 1. Pronunciation of Pakistani English
Due to the absence of some phonemes in Urdu that are present
in English, Pakistanis have a difficult time pronouncing and
distinguishing them. For instance, the sound / θ/ is often linked
to the Urdu phoneme / /, although there is difference of both
place and manner of articulation. The phonemes /v/ and /w/ are
also mixed and not pronounced correctly. So words like verse,
worse, vile, while, etc. are pronounced exactly the same in
Pakistani English.
Many Pakistanis also often have trouble when two consonants
appear together without a vowel in between. The word "school"
is often mispronounced as either "sakool" or "iskool."
Many words are pronounced very differently from their original
pronunciation in British English. For example, commonplace
words such as 'automatic' is 'aatomatic' in Pakistani English.
'Current' is 'krunt.' Some words also take a plural form such as
'roadien' for roads, and 'classein' for classes.
2. Vocabulary of Pakistani English
Pakistani English contains many unique terms, as well as terms
which are utilized somewhat differently in Pakistan. Examples.

 Light means electricity.

 Shopper means a shopping bag.

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  Burger means a spoiled brat or a wanna be.
 No lift-received no attention.
 Press means to iron.
 First Class-means top quality.
 Miss is used to address or refer to female teachers,
whatever their marital status. It’s less commonly used to
refer to women colleagues or subordinates.
 Madam is used to address and refer to females in positions
of authority, usually a superior.
 Sir is used for a male teacher or a male superior.
3. Spellings of Pakistani English
Pakistani English follows the same spelling patterns as British
English. This fact is explicit especially in Pakistani educational
sector. There is no doubt we have been experiencing a wave of
change in spelling patterns with the invasion of computer.
Sometimes we tend to write ‘color’ instead of ‘colour’ or
‘program’ in place of ‘programme’ but these spellings have not
yet got credibility with Pakistan's examination system where
conventional checking of papers compels students to follow the
British spelling patterns. Some more examples are as follows:

 Centre not center

 Favour not favor
 Tyre not tire

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  Defence not defense
4. Grammar of Pakistani English
The most fundamental difference between English and Pakistani
languages is word order. English has SVO word order, whereas
Pakistani languages have SOV word order. Sometimes students
end up translating sentences literally or they apply the Urdu
sentence structure SOV when they are forming English
sentences.

 “ ” “English comes to me” instead

of “I know English.”
Sentences in Pakistani language have two main parts; S (subject)
and V (verb). When there is no O (object) in a sentence, both
English and Pakistani sentences have the same basic structure,
which is SV.

 “ ” “She eats.”
In Urdu, the object in many sentences depends on the context,
and sometimes it's possible to have sentences without the S
(subject) part. These differences are not about how sentences are
built, but about how the language is used. It's important to note
that when translating Urdu sentences literally, you might end up

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with a sentence in English that doesn't have an object or a
subject.

 “ ,” upon literally translating this we get a

sentence in English with no S or O i.e. “enjoyed.”
Now in English, it’s a mere verb but in Urdu it’s a whole
sentence.