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Title PARAMETRIC VARIATIONS ACROSS PASHTO, URDU AND ENGLISH: A CROSSLINGUISTIC SYNTACTIC STUDY

Author(s) Kamran Ashraf

Abstract Title: Parametric Variations across Pashto, Urdu and English: A Cross-Linguistic Syntactic Study Variations across languages have been extensively studied; however, Pakistani languages have received comparatively limited scholarly attention. Keeping this gap in view, the study aims to explore the parametric variations between Pashto and Urdu, and between Pashto and English by using X-bar theory as an analytical framework. It has been observed that Pashto first-language speakers do not have the same command on Urdu and English which can be attributed to the parametric variations between Pashto and Urdu, and between Pashto and English. Keeping this in view, this study sets out to explore the aforementioned languages in terms of head-position parameter, null-subject parameter and wh-movement parameter. Purposive sampling is used to collect a total of forty-five phrases and sentences from selected grammar books of Pashto, Urdu and English. Chomsky’s (1981) Principles and Parameters theory is used as a theoretical framework. After analyzing the collected data with the help of X-bar theory, major findings of the study are: 1) English is head-first language while Pashto and Urdu are head-last languages with one exception in the prepositional phrases of Pashto language where it can serve as head-first language as well, 2) English is a non-null subject language; Urdu is null-subject language whereas Pashto is a partial null-subject language, 3) and English allows wh- movement but Pashto and Urdu do not allow whmovement. Based on the findings, the study recommends that language instruction and curriculum design for Pashto-speaking learners of Urdu and English should explicitly address differences in head-position, subject omission, and wh-question formation. Also, teacher training and language materials should incorporate cross-linguistic syntactic comparisons to reduce transfer errors and improve multilingual proficiency. In addition to exploring an under-researched area, this study aims to enhance crosslinguistic understanding by analyzing parametric variations between Pashto and Urdu, and between Pashto and English. By highlighting both the similarities and differences in these syntactic features, the study contributes to a broader appreciation of linguistic diversity and deepens insights into syntactic variation. However, future research should examine spoken data and additional syntactic parameters to further enhance understanding of cross-linguistic variations in under-researched Pakistani languages.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

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Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2025-07-28

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