AN ACCOUNT OF SEMANTIC CHANGE IN PAKISTANI ENGLISH AND ITS IMPACT ON ITS INTELLIGIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY

Abstract

This study focused on Pakistani English in the context of the distinct features that stem from the sociocultural context in which English is being used. The study used Weinreich’s (1968) framework of language contact which outlines the pattern of language interaction and offers an explanation for linguistic change, as a theoretical cornerstone in the study of the semantic shift in the Pakistani variant of English, which lends this variety its Pakistani flavor. The objective of this study, which used four literary texts as data sources, was to examine the manner in which Pakistanis' sociocultural environment and experiences affect the meanings of some words that have both English and Pakistani origins, leading to extensions or outright variations in the meanings of some words of both English and Pakistani origin as they are incorporated into the lexicon of Pakistani English. The study highlights that these semantic variations are signs of the sociocultural dynamics of Pakistani society, which lead to linguistic variation among English varieties. The semantic variations prove that using the British variety as the benchmark for evaluating Pakistani English’s intelligibility and acceptability would be at odds with Pakistani sociocultural reality. Pakistani English, therefore, has to be assessed on its own grounds as a distinct variety.

Keywords: Pakistani English; Semantic Shift; Semantic change; Semantic Variation; Intelligibility and Acceptability.