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EFFECTS OF INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS This study sought to determine the effectes of intercultural pragmatics in the development of reading comprehension. Further, the study aimed to find out the demerits of conventional approaches employed in English language pedagogy that tends to overlook the aspects of cultural norms associated with the target language. Moreover, the study benefitted and employed an experimental design as research paradigm. Besides, the study used random sample technique wherein the researcher selected 50 10th grade English language learners from a nearby school in District Ghotki, Tehsil Ubauro, and equally divided them into two groups i.e., experimental and control group. During the investigation, the two groups received different treatment: the experimental group was exposed to some text rich in cultural context (Sindhi & English Cultures), while the control group was taught a text neutral to culture. Pre and post-tests were given in the beginning and at the end of the experimental study respectively to measure the progress of the students that they had achieved. The t-test as an analytical tool was used to statistically examine the data because the study was quantitative in nature. Therefore, the study proved useful in establishing a strong link between reading comprehension and intercultural pragmatics. Thus, the findings of the study demonstrated that including cultural context in the language learning process enhances students' comprehension skills. Following the findings of the study, it was further revealed that teaching intercultural pragmatics in language curriculum helps students in learning and understanding foreign languages. However, other related aspects such as accomplishments of different speech acts in different cultural contexts can be explored in further research.
REPRESENTATION OF ISLAMOPHOBIA IN HOLLYWOOD TV SERIES HOMELAND: A PRAGMA-SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS This research has attempted to explore the portrayal of Islamophobia in the Hollywood TV Series Homeland season 4. Islamophobia has been on the rise since the horrific incident of 9/11 and the researcher has made an effort to find out how media plays an important role in promoting certain agendas and as a result of such actions people of certain communities and religion suffers. The conceptual theoretical framework of Austin and Searle’s Speech act has been used to analyse the dialogues while Roland Barthes’ Semiotic theory has been followed for the analysis of images selected from the series. The qualitative research method has been employed in this research and through purposive sampling the data has been collected. The researcher has analysed the dialogues and imagery of the series and found that the dominant narrative in the series is that Muslims are ruthless, violent and anti-west while the Americans are presented as the heroes, sympathetic and peaceful. The series has depicted the Americans as the only victims of terrorism without narrating the stories of Muslims who have equally suffered after the 9/11 event. The physical appearance, clothes and language have been targeted in this series. Such stereotypical representations of Muslims and the use of certain ideologies of Islam further incite hatred for Muslims and Islam among the Western masses.
ARTICULATING IMPERIALIST IDEOLOGY: THE GREAT GAMES IN THE SELECTED FICTION FROM SOUTH ASIA South Asian novels, with the theme of war fought at Pak-Afghan borders or in Afghanistan, are generally regarded as a social realist fiction recording the pangs of human sufferings. However, their ideological construction that subscribes to the dominant imperialist ideology evades contest. The current study argues that the South Asian writers, writing on the wars fought at the North-West Frontier of Pakistan and in Afghanistan, facilitate imperialist ideology constructed during the Great Game. The current study, in the light of Kim and its embeddedness in the Old Great Game, examines the contemporary selected novels – The Wasted Vigil, The Shadow of the Crescent Moon and The Kite Runner for their commitment to the imperialist ideology shaped during the New Great Game, a deadly sport between the US and Russia to maintain their imperial hegemony in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Placing Kim in its historical context, the study explores the elements that strengthen the imperialist ideology practiced during the Old Great Game. This novel serves as a representative Orientalist text of the nineteenth century. During this age, imperialist ideology largely revolves around the Old Great Game, specifically, in the subcontinent. Guided by the concepts of theorists such as Edward Said (1995; 1993), Abdul Rehman JanMohamed (1985), Hamid Dabashi (2011), and Lisa Lau (2009), the research finds that the selected contemporary texts largely include the instances of practicing the dominant imperialist ideology constructed during the New Great Game, and the selected writers negotiate the local culture to enlarge their circle of readership in the West. Kipling, internalizing the imperial ideology of the inevitability of empire, portrays India as a passive country and suggests the empire to concentrate on the Great Game by controlling India as a ‘child’. Judging the local resistance through the lens of an imperialist and misrepresenting the Indian culture, Rudyard Kipling allies with the empire as a “native informer”. Similarly, the contemporary selected writers present to their readers an “episteme” framed by the IV imperialists. Incorporating the dominant imperialist ideology constructed during the New Great Game, Nadeem Aslam denigrates Afghan resistance as terrorism and religion as violence. His novel misinforms the readers about the Afghan culture by shaping the identity of the natives negatively. Similarly, Fatima Bhutto promotes the new imperialist ideology, “humanitarianism” and exploits the “Pashtunistan” narrative by aggravating the negative sentiments of the natives and suggesting non-conformity with the state. Her novel makes vulnerable the Pak-Afghan border, an important determiner in the New Great Game. Being a “native informer”, the writer exoticizes the local culture and foregrounds human rights violations to attract her readers. Like other novels under investigation, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner also practices imperialist ideology – America as savior, Russia as an ‘Evil Empire’, Taliban as a ‘danger’ to the world peace, inevitability of American presence in Afghanistan, etc. – and re-orientalizes the Orientals to inform both the “Empire” and the Western readers. The study concludes that the South Asian writers, covering the Cold War and the War on Terror, strengthen the hegemonic imperialist ideology through their texts. To meet the perceptions of their Anglo-phone readers, they (mis)represent the local culture; hence, “native informers”.
REPRODUCING OR REJECTING REPRESENTATION: STEREOTYPES OF DISABILITY AND GENDER IN THE SELECTED FICTION OF ANGLOPHONE PAKISTANI WRITERS In literature disabled characters are either nonexistent or they are portrayed as incomplete, silenced, and excluded beings and their lives as tragedies. Minimal representation of such figures in literature indicates the attitude of society towards disabled/differently abled individuals. Literature represents ideal, normal, and able-bodied characters as heroes while people with disabilities/differently abled characters and their experiences are pushed to the periphery. Even when they are included, they serve some purpose in promoting plot development. They or their experiences rarely form the core of the literary work in fiction. Intersection of disability and gender marginalizes women and pushes them to the borders of existence. They feel the disabling impact of society more than their male counterparts. Disabled women face othering on social, economic, political, educational and religious grounds. Works of fiction tend to portray the disabled characters especially disabled women as helpless victims and disability as lack and loss thus stereotyping disability as tragedy. The present study attempted to analyze the portrayal of disabled characters especially disabled women and representation of disability in Muhammad Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008) and Our Lady of Alice Bhatti (2011), Bapsi Sidhwa’s IceCandy- Man (1988) and Kamila Shamsie’s A God in Every Stone (2014). Nandini Ghosh (2018), Rosemarie Garland Thomson and Ria Cheyne’s (2019) work on disability and representation of disability in literature provides the theoretical framework for the study. The goal of the study was to find whether the representation of disabled characters reinforces the ‘traditional’ view of disability, or it challenges the old views. The study also explored the impact of gender in producing social perception of disabled/differently abled characters
Representation of Racism in Hamid’s Selected Novel: A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis This study delves into the portrayal of racism in Mohsin Hamid's novel "The Last White Man" (2022) using Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). Through textual metafunction, it aims to unravel the intricate linguistic mechanisms through which racial dynamics are constructed and perpetuated within the narrative. The primary objective is to investigate linguistic patterns, grammatical structures, and thematic organization to uncover the subtle ways racism is depicted and reinforced in the text. The research adopts a mixed method approach, analyzing twenty selected paragraphs comprising 26 sentences and 357 clauses. The textual structure is scrutinized to identify conjunctions, conjunctive adjuncts, and continuatives, elucidating their role in enhancing coherence and portraying racist ideology. Tables presenting the frequency and percentage of themes and cohesive devices aid in statistical analysis, facilitating the identification of linguistic variations. Through this analysis, the study reveals the intricate relationship between language and societal concerns, shedding light on power dynamics and cultural representations within the novel's discourse. It also highlights the narrative's reflection of white supremacy, particularly in the post-9/11 context. The findings align with Halliday's conceptualization of language's textual framework, offering a structured understanding of grammar, meaning, and function. The study illustrates how textual metafunctions, including lexical density, grammatical complexity, coherence, and the usage of nominal groups, effectively portray racist ideology. Moreover, the research suggests the incorporation of additional Hallidayan frameworks, such as ideational and interpersonal analysis, to explore themes in both literary and non-literary texts. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of how language constructs and perpetuates racism within literary narratives, offering insights into the broader socio-cultural context.
Representation of Racism in Hamid’s Selected Novel: A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis This study delves into the portrayal of racism in Mohsin Hamid's novel "The Last White Man" (2022) using Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). Through textual metafunction, it aims to unravel the intricate linguistic mechanisms through which racial dynamics are constructed and perpetuated within the narrative. The primary objective is to investigate linguistic patterns, grammatical structures, and thematic organization to uncover the subtle ways racism is depicted and reinforced in the text. The research adopts a mixed method approach, analyzing twenty selected paragraphs comprising 26 sentences and 357 clauses. The textual structure is scrutinized to identify conjunctions, conjunctive adjuncts, and continuatives, elucidating their role in enhancing coherence and portraying racist ideology. Tables presenting the frequency and percentage of themes and cohesive devices aid in statistical analysis, facilitating the identification of linguistic variations. Through this analysis, the study reveals the intricate relationship between language and societal concerns, shedding light on power dynamics and cultural representations within the novel's discourse. It also highlights the narrative's reflection of white supremacy, particularly in the post-9/11 context. The findings align with Halliday's conceptualization of language's textual framework, offering a structured understanding of grammar, meaning, and function. The study illustrates how textual metafunctions, including lexical density, grammatical complexity, coherence, and the usage of nominal groups, effectively portray racist ideology. Moreover, the research suggests the incorporation of additional Hallidayan frameworks, such as ideational and interpersonal analysis, to explore themes in both literary and non-literary texts. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of how language constructs and perpetuates racism within literary narratives, offering insights into the broader socio-cultural context.
FRAMING PROPAGANDA THROUGH TWITTER: A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES TWEETS The concept of conventional war has become obsolete, now it is an era of information warfare. Incorrect information, fake news, and narrative building are inseparable components of information warfare, which is used to disseminate propaganda through social media networks. In this aspect, the use of the Israeli Defense Forces' Twitter account as a tool in information warfare, for changing the narrative regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict, needs attention. For this scholarship, this project seeks to enlighten the public about the implications of propaganda in the Israeli Defense Forces’ Twitter account discourse. This study has used a mixed-method approach for data collection and analysis. For quantitative analysis, 530 tweets have been taken from the year 2022, whereas, for qualitative analysis, a sample of 44 tweets has been taken. As for the quantitative aspect, the IBM Watson model has been used for finding Interpersonal meanings in the tweets, which is an important aspect of SFL. As for the qualitative aspect, help has been taken from SFL, Martin’s (2005) appraisal framework for exploring Interpersonal meanings. In addition, transitivity processes have been employed for Ideational meanings. Moreover, the SFL multimodal discourse analysis modal has been used for semiotic resources. The findings of the study reveal the elements of propaganda in IDF’s tweets through the theoretical lens of ‘Framing’ and propaganda framework by Robert Entman (2003), and Da San Martino et al. (2019), respectively. This includes showing a one-sided picture of the Israel-Palestine conflict, using highly volatile language while reporting news, and lastly building a narrative of a peaceful army, that safeguards global values. The study argues that social media networks have wider implications for society. Moreover, the social media networks of IDF, are playing an active role in information warfare, to change the narrative about the genocide that has been happening in Gaza in their favour.
Exploring Palimpsestic Inscriptions on Memory in Moss and Picoult’s Selected COVID-19 Fiction This study employs textual analysis to investigate the representation of COVID-19 in the fiction of Moss and Picoult. By utilizing De Quincey's concept of the palimpsest and Manning's Palimpsest of Memory model, this research explores how the pandemic inscribes metaphorical layers on the human brain. The primary focus is on the impact of the pandemic's temporal and environmental contexts on these inscriptions. Through a detailed analysis of Moss's The Fell and Picoult's Wish You Were Here, the study examines how characters experience this metaphorical layering amidst the pandemic. By selecting fiction set in different countries, the research addresses both local and global ramifications of the pandemic. The nuanced character portrayals enable a comprehensive examination of the mental layers formed during this period. Additionally, the study investigates how contemporary printed texts function as metaphorical palimpsests, reflecting societal experiences, anxieties, and resilience during the pandemic. This exploration of surroundings and their influence on mental inscriptions opens potential avenues for future research. Furthermore, it delves into how literature serves as a medium for understanding the emotional and experiential complexities induced by global crises. Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of textual representations of the palimpsest, emphasizing its relationship to temporal and environmental contexts. It seeks to illustrate how fiction can mirror and elucidate the human condition during unprecedented times, laying the groundwork for future inquiries into the intersection of literature, human consciousness, and societal impacts of global events. By doing so, it not only enhances comprehension of the pandemic's narrative representations but also underscores the broader implications for literary studies and research on human experiences.
Exploring Child Sexual Abuse: Socio-Cultural Factors and Traumatic Impact in Selected South Asian Texts The present investigation delves into the significant themes of child abuse as mentioned in the selected South Asian contemporary texts, Sleeping on Jupiter (2015) and Girls Burn Brighter (2018), by Anuradha Roy and Shobha Rao. The central motive of this research is to shed light on the child abuse contributing factors, forms of abuse, emotional suffering and traumatic impact on the personalities of abused children. The existing framework originated from the “Contemporary Trauma Theory” (CSA) outlined by Jooste. Therefore, theoretical components are employed from “David Finkelhor’s Precondition Model”, which focuses on the socio-cultural factors adopted by perpetrators to motivate children to abuse. Further insight regarding forms of abuse has been extracted from “Child Abuse as an International Issue (1988)”, a collaborated work by David Finkelhor and Jill Korbin. This work further illustrates the categories of abuse: child sexual abuse, child emotional abuse, child physical abuse, child prostitution abuse and neglect. Therefore, the traumatic impact because of childhood abuse is explored as outlined in Cathy Caruth’s Trauma: Exploration in Memory (1995). For a more explicit approach, Catherine Belsey's textual analysis method has been applied. The study emphasises the awareness of child abuse to bring it into the limelight, and this concern is associated with the well-being of children, as it is still considered a taboo in society. Therefore, this analysis recommended child abuse can be investigated through intersectional analysis between child abuse and other societal issues. Moreover, educational strategies can also be incorporated fiction into education for awareness. Through translation studies broader discussion can be generated. From these viewpoints, consequently, it is still an ignored aspect by researchers, as well an expected research gap for future concern.
Negotiating Environmental Criminology and Maintaining Ecojustice: An Ecocritical Study of Uzma Aslam Khan’s Thinner Than Skin and Amitav Ghosh’s River of Smoke This thesis examines River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh and Thinner Than Skin by Uzma Aslam Khan in relation to the fundamental ecocritical tenet that there is a connection between the mistreatment of indigenous peoples, their local wildlife, and the representation of nature. The goal of this study is to examine the texts for reflections on influential and individual behaviors that uphold and defend the persecution and marginalization of deprived human and animal communities. It also aims to discuss the liberation tactics/strategies that the chosen books offer for indigenous groups, nonhuman animals, and nature. This study was conducted from the premise that repressive conceptual frameworks and potential remedies are the fundamental ideas that privileged individuals, particularly governmental authorities, use to oppress and persecute other native humans, nonhumans, and nature. As a result, the application of these anthropocentric ideas and actions turns native people, nonhuman animals, and nature into simple tools and commodities for obtaining material rewards. The study demonstrates that, in addition to the oppression of local inhabitants, wildlife, and the environment that reflected in the chosen works, oppressive ideologies nurtured and sustained in two different cultures by influential and individual practices against the framework of anthropocentric ideology. Moreover, this study also explores the possible solutions to deal with oppressive anthropocentric mindset.
Representation of Biodiversity in the series The Age of Extinction and Country Diary by The Guardian: A Corpus-Based Positive Discourse Analysis This work talks about an underrepresented area of biodiversity within the ecological discourse by using Arran Stibbe (2015) Ecolinguistics framework. The story of salience is focused. A mixed method approach is used; the data was divided into three categories: Set A was made up of articles from The Age of Extinction series, Set B was made up of articles from the Country Diary and Set C consisted of articles from The Age of Extinction that talked about biodiversity conservation. Question one is divided into two parts a and b. Ant.Conc tool was used to determine which series is more salient. The second research question seeks to determine the ecosophical orientation of biodiversity conservation in The Age of Extinction series. The Country Diary is more positive discourse than The of Extinction series because there were 16 biodiversity related concrete words in Set A and 54 biodiversity related words in Set B and concordance analysis confirmed that Set B has more positive linguistic practices.The data reflected all those linguistic practices which are characteristic of positive discourse such as: individualization, history, similes, sense images, adjectives and description. Moreover, the researcher also found some other stylistic choices reflected in Set B of the data such as: use of narrative style of the writing, use of present and present progressive tense, rhetorical questions and use of sound words. In RQ2, the researcher found three themes in the ecosophical orientation of the data in Set C: humans as savior of nature, biodiversity protection based on the instrumental needs and biodiversity conservation based on intrinsic value of nature. The analysis carried at the lexical and clause level showed mixed adherence to all the said themes. This research is useful to promote protection of our ecology; one should move beyond human centric needs and cater to the cause of sixth mass extinction by realizing that nature has self worth.
Flaneuse-ing: A Psychogeographic Study of Khalifeh's My First and Only Love and Madoun's Fractured Destinies The present study investigates the act of flânerie executed by females in Madhoun and Kalifeh’s selected Palestinian novels. Drawing upon Elkin’s concept of female walking from Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London, the research explores how female protagonists traverse urban landscapes, mountainous terrains, and cities, portraying haptic and intimate urban experiences. The study has employed McKee’s textual analysis model to investigate the intricate navigation of societal complexities, shedding light on issues such as violence against women, struggles with identity, marginalization, war, resistance, and the quest for belonging. It reveals how the social issues embedded in the urban space and the psychogeographic impacts of space influence the psyche of the flâneuse. Amidst the chaos and turmoil depicted in selected Palestinian novels, the portrayal of love emerges as a pivotal theme explored by the flâneuses. The contemporary flâneuse, with acute attention to detail, vividly captures the essence of the cityscape, immortalizing its nuances and myriad experiences within her narratives. The study emphasizes that the act of flânerie transcends age or profession, showcasing how women from various walks of life engage in the exploration of urban environments, enriching the literary landscape with their perspectives and insights.
A Multimodal Analysis of Packed Food Advertisements: An Ecolinguistic Perspective This qualitative study investigates the advertisement strategies used to promote the sale of packed food products using multiple modes and symbols for promotional purposes. The theoretical framework helps to relate the interpretation of linguistic and visual elements to the ecolinguistics perspective. The conceptual framework is based on Kress and Leeuwen's (2008) multimodality and Stibbe’s (2015) ecolinguistics to inform consumers about the imperative of preferring the consumption of packed food products, with specific stress on justifying environmental degradation stemming from the excessive use of packed food products. Kress and van Leeuwen’s comprehensive framework support the identification of multimodal strategies by inspecting the representational and interactive meaning created by the advertisers to target the consumers in the selected advertisements. The message composed through these elements communicates with the consumers, potentially influencing their behaviour and compelling them to purchase. Likewise, the integration of an ecolinguistic perspective enables an investigation of the advertising discourse to elicit stories based on consumers’ personal interests which potentially leads to goods consumption that are harmful to both people and the environment. The analyzed data sheds light on the possible influence of consumer choices on the environment. The study analyzes six categories of packed food, examining 30 advertisements to uncover strategies used to attract and persuade consumers. It also investigates the environmental impact and explores how advertising affects eco-friendly purchasing. This research aims to amend the purchasing decisions that can contribute to a sustainable and greener society in Pakistan by highlighting the environmental problems caused by the consumption of packed food. The study also educates consumers about making choices that are beneficial for their health and help preserve the environment. It also suggests that companies or food industries create narratives promoting environmental sustainability.
REPRESENTATION OF COVID-19 NARRATIVES IN PAKISTANI ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS: AN ECOLINGUISTICS PERSPECTIVE This study explores role of print media in spreading information about pandemic and environmental changes during pandemic. As environmental issues, climate change and such pandemics are common problems of the planet and connected to health of ecosystem. Therefore, media especially print media is central in disseminating information regarding such disasters. All such disasters and crisis are connected somewhere in background. Therefore, there is need of proper way and medium to spread information in such crucial time and encourage people to play vital role in sustainability of ecosystem. As language plays central role in promoting such ecological narratives that save or destroy our environment and hence our ecosystem. This study aims to investigate the strategies employed in the construction of four stories such as erasure, salience, conviction and evaluation in English newspaper’s articles and highlights how different linguistics features makes the text natural and persuasive. The researcher selects total thirty articles from three English newspapers such as Dawn, The Express Tribune and the News. Authors often employ these strategies to erase, foreground important aspects. Stibbe (2015) has been used as theoretical framework to analyze the strategies in the construction of erasure, salience, evaluation and conviction in Covid-19 related newspapers’ articles. The findings of study suggests that different strategies are employed in the construction of these four stories in environmental discourses such as appraisal patterns, modality, facticity patterns, euphemism, foregrounding, activation, personification, metaphors, co-hyopnymy, passive constructions, nominalisation, abstraction and hyponym etc. Moreover, the study concludes that salience has been given to improved environment during pandemic however selfish humans are blamed for creating situation for covid-19 by destroying nature. Through analysis of these stories’ researcher investigates the connection between environment and covid-19. The study emphasizes demand for encouraging the beneficial stories and resisting destructive stories by spreading awareness among people regarding harmful aspects of destructive stories.