Pakistani Cultural Discourse in English Language: An Analysis of Bapsi Sidhwa's Fiction

This book reveals how native cultural patterns of thought and behavior mould the shape of English in Pakistan and turn it a contextually appropriate language variety, deviant from British Standard English and American English. The author has analysed this language variety (Pakistani English) both at formal and expressive domains of the language such as lexis, syntax, semantics, idioms, etc. The study relies on Bapsi Sidhwa's works to provide examples of local standard English variety. Moreover, it is argued in this book that local subject matter, culture bound linguistic and discoursal features, characters, themes, and culture specific structural forms do not appear in Sidhwa's works as decorative device to attract the world market. Rather, all of them serve as meaningful cultural markers and being essential in the context, evolve naturally in her works. The analysis in this study maintains that like all mature artists, Sidhwa manifests responsibility towards readers by ensuring the international intelligibility of her language in fiction.