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Title: Investigating Dissimilarities in the Morphosyntax of Urdu, Punjabi and English Languages
Authors: Mamona Yasmin Khan, Sibgha Dilawer, Farhana Yasmin
Journal: Dialogue Social Science Review (DSSR)
| Category | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Y | 2024-10-01 | 2025-12-31 |
Publisher: Collaborative Educational Learning Institute
Country: Pakistan
Year: 2024
Volume: 2
Issue: 5
Language: English
Keywords: UrduPunjabiLinguistic DiversityEnglish languageMorphosyntax
Pakistan has a rich linguistic diversity with several regional languages. However, with the increasing influence of globalization, people are shifting towards English because of its attribution to social, educational and professional mobility in Pakistan. This language shift comes with various challenges that reflect the complex correlation between languages and cultures. Hocket (1958) connects the language learning process with cultural transmission which means a native knowledge once acquired influences second language acquisition because the mother tongue knowledge provides a solid formation of cognitive abilities and thinking patterns of an individual which interferes the second language learning. Therefore, this study examines the morphological and syntactic dissimilarities between the native (Punjabi, Urdu) and foreign (English) languages. Additionally, it addresses the interferences between the languages that lead to errors in the target language. For this purpose, a morphosyntax of Urdu, Punjabi and English languages is examined. The findings reveal the significant differences in the morphological and syntactic structures of these three languages and learners tend to apply native rules and structures to the target language that leads to errors. Thus, this study is significant in addressing language barriers aiming to suggest pedagogical strategies to address the linguistic difficulties of English language learners in a multilingual society.
To examine the morphological and syntactic dissimilarities between Urdu, Punjabi, and English languages, and to suggest pedagogical strategies for addressing the linguistic needs of Urdu, Punjabi-English language learners.
A comparative research design was adopted. Data was collected from standard sources including dictionaries and textbooks. The morphosyntax of Urdu, Punjabi, and English languages was examined and compared to identify linguistic patterns and areas of interference.
graph TD;
A["Adopt Comparative Research Design"] --> B["Collect Data from Dictionaries and Textbooks"];
B --> C["Examine Morphosyntax of Urdu, Punjabi, English"];
C --> D["Compare Linguistic Patterns and Identify Differences"];
D --> E["Analyze Areas of Language Interference"];
E --> F["Identify Morphosyntactic Dissimilarities"];
F --> G["Suggest Pedagogical Strategies"];
The study highlights how the ingrained morphosyntactic rules of native languages (Urdu and Punjabi) interfere with the acquisition of English. Grammatical gender, gender-specific pronouns, and the SOV sentence structure in Urdu and Punjabi contrast with English's gender-neutral adjectives, simpler pronoun system, and SVO structure, causing challenges for learners. The influence of the mother tongue is a primary cause of errors in target language learning.
Significant differences exist in the morphological and syntactic structures of Urdu, Punjabi, and English. These differences, particularly in noun inflection, gender agreement, verb conjugation, pronoun usage, prepositions, and sentence structure (SVO vs. SOV), lead to errors when learners apply their native language rules to English.
The morphosyntactic differences between Urdu, Punjabi, and English present significant challenges for Pakistani learners. Understanding these differences is crucial for developing effective pedagogical strategies that can help learners improve their English proficiency without losing their cultural and linguistic identity. Teachers should focus on specific linguistic differences and provide constructive feedback.
1. Census Data: The text cites the 2001 Census of Pakistan, stating 44.15% Punjabi speakers, 15.42% Pashto speakers, 14.10% Sindhi speakers, 10.53% Saraiki speakers, and 7.57% Urdu speakers.
2. Language Shift: The paper notes a shift towards English in Pakistan due to its attribution to social, educational, and professional mobility.
3. Linguistic Differences: The study identifies specific morphosyntactic differences, such as English using "s" for pluralization while Urdu and Punjabi have more complex systems involving gender, and English having an SVO sentence structure while Urdu and Punjabi use SOV.
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