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Title Hybrid Language and Identity Negotiation in Moni Mohsin’s Novel The Diary of a Social Butterfly: A Stylistic Study

Author(s) Ambreen Anwar

Abstract This study uses stylistic analysis of Moni Mohsin's The Diary of a Social Butterfly (2008) to investigate identity negotiation and hybrid language. It explores how stylistic elements reflect bicultural identities and cultural dynamics in Pakistani culture. Although earlier research has examined identity negotiation and hybrid language in a variety of literary works, little attention has been paid to an in-depth stylistic analysis of this novel. Prior research has largely ignored its narrative style and satirical nature, which challenge societal standards and provide an intriguing approach to evaluating hybrid language, while its portrayal of hybrid identities remains mostly unexplored. To bridge this gap, the study takes a qualitative research approach based on Leech and Short's (2007) stylistic analysis paradigm. The research design includes instrumentation, data sources, collection methods, and the research process, with data collected by a detailed textual analysis of selected excerpts. Findings reveal that Mohsin effectively depicts identity negotiation and hybrid language using a variety of stylistic elements, including specialist vocabulary, collocations, general and specific terms, phrases, colloquialisms, simple and complex sentence structures, and figures of speech such as personification, juxtaposition, metonymy, parallelism, and repetition. This study looks at four linguistic aspects: lexical categories, grammatical categories, figures of speech, and context and cohesion. The lexical categories highlight English and Urdu words for social negotiation and cultural adaptation. Grammatical categories investigate sentence structure, complexity, and phrases to determine their importance in meaning and identity. In figures of speech puns, metaphors, and satire enhance identity and critique social norms. Cohesion establishes structural links, whereas context gives cultural and situational significance. These stylistic choices are critical for understanding identity negotiation and hybrid language, since they provide insights into language use and identity creation in a hybrid context.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2025-03-13

Subject English Linguistics

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