Department wise Listing | NUML Online Research Repository
List of Content
Back to Listing
Title Abstract Action(s)
Self-Silencing: A Psychosocial Study of the Experiences of Diasporic Protagonists in the Selected Works This study examines the psychological and social struggles of diasporic mothers in Little Bandaged Days (2020) by Kyra Wilder and The School for Good Mothers (2021) by Jessamine Chan. It explores how self-silencing, mental instability, and strained relationships with family and society shape their experiences. The research highlights the pressures placed on mothers, particularly in diasporic contexts, where cultural displacement and isolation amplify emotional distress. Drawing on Dana Crowley Jack’s Self-Silencing Theory (2010), the study investigates how women, in their efforts to meet societal expectations, often suppress their emotions and sacrifice their individuality. This internalized pressure leads to psychological struggles such as anxiety, depression, and a loss of self-identity. The notion of the "ideal mother" reinforces emotional restraint, affecting mother’s mental well-being and social relationships. In the selected novels, motherhood is portrayed as a complex and demanding transition rather than an instinctive or purely joyful experience. Societal norms and cultural ideals impose unrealistic expectations, worsening the struggles of diasporic mothers who already face alienation and inadequate support. The study critiques how family dynamics, marital relationships, and institutional systems often fail to provide meaningful assistance, deepening their sense of isolation. Beyond individual experiences, this study highlights the broader impact of self-silencing on social structures and generational patterns. It advocates for rethinking gender norms and promoting a more inclusive, realistic portrayal of motherhood. Ultimately, it calls for greater awareness, systemic change, and emotional support to empower women, allowing them to reclaim their voices and identities.
Trending Narratives: A Content Analysis of Hashtags on Instagram in Pakistan In today’s digital media landscape, the use of hashtags has evolved into a powerful communicative practice that shapes online discourse. This study explores the role of neologized hashtags in constructing and circulating trending narratives on Instagram within the Pakistani context. As social media becomes a central space for public expression, hashtags are no longer limited to simple categorization; instead, they function as discursive tools for identity construction, social engagement, activism, commentary, and narrative building. Dealing with Pakistani Instagram users only, the study analyses the way the newly created hashtags are located within local sociocultural contexts, language choices, and developing online tendencies. The information includes 69 Instagram posts, and 14 trending hashtags gathered from January 2022 to December 2023. Qualitative content-analysis was made based on five thematic issues including religion, politics, social media, entertainment, and climate. These taxonomies can be used to investigate how hashtags capture the mood and group conversation about national events, popular culture as well as social issues. This paper is found on Digital Discourse Analysis (DDA) and examines the usage of these hashtags to cue meaning, shape perception, and mediate the interactions among the users as applied to digital texts. This framework allows the study to point out that hashtags have pragmatic forms of expression, including emotional, political, culture commentaries, humorous, and solidarities. The results indicate that the neologized hashtags on Instagram form part of how the Pakistani users interact with the modern discourse. These hashtags are elastic subject to the immediate situation and frequently combine English with other local languages and reflect the temporality and participation of online messages. They are used to represent identity, opposition, partying, and criticism. This paper sheds light on the nature of digital narratives propagated by the Instagram hashtags in Pakistan, and can be used to explain how language innovation, changes in pragmatics, and the impact of social media on matters of shaping a local, rooted understanding of the public sphere in a globalized world work.
TRANSLATABILITY OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS: A COGNITIVE-SEMANTIC STUDY OF IQBAL’S TRANSLATED WORK TULIP IN THE DESERT: A SELECTION OF THE POETRY OF MUHAMMAD IQBAL BY MIR Title: Translatability of Conceptual Metaphors: A Cognitive-Semantic Study of Iqbal’s Translated Work Tulip in the Desert: A Selection of the Poetry of Muhammad Iqbal by Mir The present study explores the conceptual metaphors used in ST i.e., Allama Iqbal’s poetry and TT i.e., Mir’s translation of Iqbal’s poetry. Poetry is an aesthetically realized phenomenon; therefore, Iqbal has used several metaphors to conceptualize various cultural and religious notions which have been studied using CMT (Conceptual Metaphor Theory). The research is qualitative in nature as it provides an in-depth analysis of the conceptual metaphors realized both in ST and TT. The conceptual metaphors in the target text have been analyzed through the use of Newmark’s Metaphor Translation Procedures (1988). The textual analysis of the selected verses brings to fore that conceptual meanings of metaphors get established through cross mapping of conceptual domains. During translation, it is important to understand the sense of the ST metaphor to reexpress the same idea in TT. The translator attempts to represent the same idea in the TT by means of translation so as to increase the readability of the translated text. However, the comparison of both ST and TT highlights that the originality of ST is somehow marred in TT because the translator fails to retain the actual essence associated with the ST metaphors. The analysis highlights that every language follows its own linguistic and non-linguistic factors to conceptualize a certain concept. Resultantly, the translated text loses its musicality and spontaneity during the process of translation.
EXPLORING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL The present study explores formative assessment practices in teaching English reading comprehension at the elementary level across private and public schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad Federal Board (Punjab). In modern educational frameworks, formative assessment is recognized as crucial for enhancing student learning and engagement. However, its practical implementation in Pakistan’s elementary classrooms, particularly for reading comprehension, remains unexplored. This study examines how teachers use formative assessment to improve reading comprehension, utilizing Ruiz-Primo's (2007) four-phase FA model: setting learning goals, collecting information, interpreting information, and acting on the information collected. Additionally, this research explores teachers’ formative feedback practices and how perceptions of effectiveness differ between private and public elementary schools. The researcher used a qualitative design, including classroom observations and semi-structured interviews from selected private and public elementary schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad Federal Board (Punjab). The qualitative data addresses all three questions regarding teachers' FA practices, formative feedback, and perceptions. The researcher applied frequency distribution to analyze practices and generated themes inductively from data on ESL teachers’ perceptions and feedback. Findings reveal that teachers across both sectors perceive formative assessment as integral to regular ESL teaching. However, factors including large class sizes, lack of resources, and varied learner linguistic backgrounds hinder effective FA implementation for reading comprehension, especially in the public sector. Private schools employ more organized ongoing assessment practices to improve students' English reading skills. The findings underline the necessity for policymakers and administrators to address these challenges. Future researchers can also use this study’s findings to explore other English language skills and offer a more comprehensive understanding of formative assessment’s impact on English proficiency.
ANALYZING SPEECH PATTERNS OF PSYCHOPATHIC SERIAL KILLERS: A FORENSIC PSYCHOLINGUISTIC APPROACH TO DECEPTION DETECTION This study investigates the speech patterns of psychopathic serial killers to identify the linguistic and nonverbal strategies used for deception and manipulation. Using a mixedmethod approach grounded in Mark McClish's (2012) Statement Analysis framework, interviews of 10 psychopathic serial killers were analyzed. The interviews, sourced from YouTube, were transcribed and observed to examine linguistic and behavioral indicators of deception. Additionally, the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) tool was employed to ensure validity and provide quantitative insights into the psychopathic linguistic profile. The findings reveal that psychopathic serial killers strategically use language to achieve their hidden motives. They demonstrate emotional detachment, frequently blame external factors, and avoid expressing remorse for their actions. High use of figurative language and ambiguous statements signals deceptive intent while their speech often reflects control and dominance. LIWC analysis highlights low affiliative language, high power-related terms, and moderate authenticity scores, reinforcing their manipulative tendencies. Nonverbal behaviors, such as smiling and smirking during discussions of their crimes, suggest enjoyment and a lack of moral regard. However, this research contributes to understanding the distinct linguistic and behavioral traits of psychopaths, emphasizing the need for awareness regarding psychopathy's link to recidivism. While this study focuses on Western psychopathic serial killers, its findings underline traits transcending cultural boundaries. Future research on psychopaths who are involved in crimes within Pakistan is necessary to generalize and validate these findings. This study aims to create awareness and inform strategies for identifying and managing individuals with psychopathic traits.
Hybrid Language and Identity Negotiation in Moni Mohsin’s Novel The Diary of a Social Butterfly: A Stylistic Study 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.
Technophilic Representation of Female Monstrosity in Nexus and Before She Sleeps This thesis explores the technophilic representation of female monstrosity through the novels Nexus by Ramez Naam and Before She Sleeps by Bina Shah. Employing a posthumanist feminist framework, the research examines how mutated and hybrid female characters use technology to challenge patriarchal power structures, redefine femininity, and reclaim autonomy within dystopian landscapes. By analyzing the interplay between monstrosity, technology, and gender, the study highlights how these characters are often portrayed as monstrous due to their technological augmentations which subvert traditional gender norms and demonstrate a form of monstrosity rooted in resistance and empowerment. The study delves into themes of technopatriarchy, technophilia, and the ethical implications of technological advancements, particularly their impact on female identity. Through a close reading of Nexus and Before She Sleeps, the research reveals how these novels portray female monstrosity as a transformative space where technology becomes a tool of liberation rather than oppression. The findings underscore the potential of speculative fiction to critique and reimagine the intersections of gender, power, and technology, offering a vision of empowered female identities that defy societal constraints. This work contributes to the discourse on posthumanist feminism by examining the subversive potential of embracing monstrous identities, positioning them as a site of feminist resistance and redefinition in contemporary science fiction.
Untangling Audacious Women’s Identities: Social Feminism in Selected Works of Pakistani English Poets Poetry has been an influential way of expressing oneself with the utmost power to convey strong emotions and social observations. It’s symbolic and rhythmic properties allow for the deep exploration of emotions and ideas, making it a unique and influential medium for exploring contemporary issues. This research delves into the representation of audacious women identities in the poetry of contemporary Pakistani poets Fatima Ijaz and Seher Hashmi, within a socio-cultural setting. In Pakistan society, this study uses social feminism as a theoretical lens to understand how the inequalities of gender expose the ways that go into different strata of oppression. The portrayal is of women who challenge the social order by claiming their own agency and free themselves from patriarchal constraints. It is through their poetry that the multifaceted, painful realities of women at the very margins are brought to light, for empowerment, equality, and social transformation. In their writings, at a more nuanced level of individual resistance, Hashmi and Ijaz echo collective efforts to resist patriarchal dominance and sustain the spirits of togetherness and collectivity among women. It is such through avenues, in this study the feminist poetry has made a significant contribution to the literary and social discourses of not just exposing the realities of oppression but also offering the causative vectors for empowerment and changes in society. The study would emphasize that more visibility of Pakistani women is required in an effort to build highly requisite gender-sensitive discourse for the cause of gender equality and empowerment through literary discourse and a more just and inclusive society.
Subversion of Sexist Stereotypes: A Historical Discourse Analysis of Mumtaz Shahnawaz's The Heart Divided This study examines the defiance of the sexism as it appears in Mumtaz Shahnawaz’s postcolonial novel The Heart Divided. The study adopts a Discourse Historical Approach (DHA), which represents an exploration of the ways in which Shahnawaz confronts traditional gender roles and attacks the patriarchal structures that deprive women of the opportunity to leave their domestic sphere, in a South Asian context. Two key research questions guide the analysis: firstly, how does the language in the novel shape and propagate the common sexist stereotypes? Secondly, how does Shahnawaz take the man with a turban stereotype and turn it on its head within the story? The study performs an analysis of the language used in the novel, which is the main data source for the study. The text is additionally analyzed due to DHA in order to see how it both creates and negates stereotypes of women. Role of characters, and system of apartheid within the family, like the Zenana (women's quarters) and Mardana (men's quarters) will be the main areas of inquiry. The result of the analysis is that Shahnawaz disrupts stereotypes with powerful female characters who go against society's norms and tackle the patriarchal system. In addition, the language itself topples down the patriarchal discourse. These conclusions show that Shahnawaz uses literature as a medium in which he describes and reevaluates gender roles. Such a study is not limited to the exploration of linguistic means for the reinforcement or challenge of stereotypes but also points to the literature as the main instrument for social change. Future research will be able to investigate similar issues in other post-colonial works or explore the historical background of the creation of the novel to understand why Shahnawaz wrote The Heart Divided and what the impact of the novel was in its specific social-cultural environment.
Scandalous Discourse about Women: A Cognitive Semantic Study of News Reports in Dawn and The News The reports about crime against women often tend to project the incident in number of ways which affect the readers’ perception of that incident and the people involved in them. The aim of this study is to analyze the criminal discourse against women in the reporting of honor killing, rape, domestic violence and harassment. It focuses on the representation of both genders (especially female) and stereotypes associated to both. This study uncovers and takes up a critical area of the field of cognitive linguistics in news reporting. The research employs two theories. The first is Relevance theory, that highlights inferences and interpretations as significant ends of communication. The second is Framing theory which works on the principles of cognitive shortcut, availability of the simplified news and possibility of distraction from the main agenda. The study is qualitative in nature, descriptive and analyzes the reports in the light of the just mentioned theories. The news reports are obtained from The News and Dawn. The study employs content analysis on fifteen news reports from each newspaper, and its time frame is from August 2022 to April 2023. The findings reveal that the news headlines are generally too concise and intriguing that they create ambiguity in understanding the news. Whereas, the news reports remain neutral and present details in the most euphemistic and temperate way that the severity, ferocity and violence involved in the crime is rationalized. Moreover, they follow cultural norms and writing conventions of Pakistani print media while reporting the news. It is realized that honor killing, rape, domestic violence and gender-based victimization are the still prevailing issues faced by women in Pakistan. It is also concluded on the basis of the findings of the study that the reason for all the crimes is deeply rooted in gender-based victimization. They create orthodox/stereotypical images of both genders. Women are presented vulnerable, coward, defenceless, submissive, and dependent on men. On the other hand, men are strong, brave, powerful, oppressive and custodian of the family’s respect that their crimes are justified. The factors like specific linguistic choices, presenting stereotypes, and establishment of frames by the newspapers affect the cognition of readers.
INTERSECTIONS OF DISABILITY AND LUDOLOGY: A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL IMAGINARIES OF DIFFERENTLY ABLED VIDEO GAMERS IN THE SELECTED POPULAR CULTURE FICTIO Title: Intersections of Disability and Ludology: A Study of the Social Imaginaries of Differently Abled Video Gamers in the Selected Popular Culture Fiction This study explores the production of a gaming culture and how it shapes the social imaginaries and leads to the formation of gaming identities of differently abled gamers in Gabriele Zevin’s Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Keith Stuarts’s A Boy Made of Blocks. I have employed the concept of “Gamer Identity” by Graeme Kirkpatrick as a reading prop to position gaming as a cultural practice. This cultural practice is a major force for transforming societies and is shaped by the society in return. I have further triangulated my theoretical support with Charles Taylor’s concept of “Social Imaginary”. It facilitates comprehending how the selected gamers may conceptualise their social interaction after the establishment of their gaming identities. Moreover, Jean Baudrillard’s theorising of “Hyperreality” is taken as a supporting lens for reading the two primary texts. It helps highlight the creation of a hyperreal world within a video game which is a virtual commodity and an artistic display of capitalism. The creation of these kinds of gaming spaces may provide accessibility to differently abled gamers. Consequently, through such ludic practices, they create their own virtual avatars and may attain a sense of autonomy, interactivity, and emancipation from day-to-day inequalities. The study has also deployed Tobin Siebers’ concept of “Complex Embodiment” that enforces the acceptance of disability as a human variation. This concept is helpful to substantiate the representation of differently abled gamers. The research is qualitative in nature and has used textual analysis as a research method. It is expected that this investigation productively contributes to the field of Ludology and Disability Studies.
WORD FORMATION PROCESSES IN TRADE NAMING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NATIONAL AND MULTINATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES IN PAKISTAN Title: Word Formation Processes in Trade Naming: A Comparative Study of National and Multinational Pharmaceutical Companies in Pakistan Pharmaceutical trade naming has been widely studied from branding and marketing perspectives, but the systematic exploration of word formation processes remains largely overlooked. This study examined the word formation processes in pharmaceutical trade names at both national and multinational levels in Pakistan. The primary objective was to explore the word formation processes in the trade naming of pharmaceuticals, with a focus on understanding the specific linguistic processes they utilize. For this purpose, the researcher used a diverse sampling technique. Firstly, three national and three multinational companies were selected through convenience sampling. Secondly, the specific categories were selected through purposive sampling, and lastly five drug names were chosen from each category through simple random sampling. The theoretical framework consisted of word formation processes, such as coinage, blending, clipping, acronyms, reduplication, compounding, borrowing and derivation. The comparison between national and multinational pharmaceutical levels revealed a wider variety of word formation processes such as coinage, blending, clipping, initialism, graphological deviation, anagramming, derivation, and compounding at the national level, while at the multinational level, coinage and blending were the dominant processes but other processes were not used abundantly. The absence of borrowing and reduplication across both levels was a significant finding, as was the prevalent use of blending by national companies and coinage by multinationals. Interviews conducted with industry professionals further underscored the lack of awareness among pharmaceutical companies about the specific linguistic processes, often resulting in randomly generated names. The study also uncovered some unusual word formation processes that, while not traditionally recognized in linguistics, prove to be workable and could be incorporated into linguistic theory to aid in the development of new trade names.
DEVELOPING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE THROUGH LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PRIMARY LEVEL STUDENTS Title: Developing Communicative Competence through Linguistic Landscape: An Experimental Study of Primary Level Students Authentic material in English Language Teaching (ELT) is crucial as it makes the learning process engaging and motivating for learners, while at the same time exposing them to real-life application of language. Therefore, applied linguists recommend the incorporation of authentic material from the real world into ELT. This is where linguistic landscape becomes important since it contains innumerable examples of authentic language in use. This study aimed to apply the linguistic landscape in ELT at the primary level in Pakistan to assess its effectiveness in improving the communicative competence of the students. The study’s conceptual framework centers on three key concepts: communicative competence, the use of authentic materials within communicative competence, and the role of the linguistic landscape as a form of authentic material used in communicative competence. The study employed a true experimental design in which participants were divided into the control and experimental groups. As quantitative instruments, pre and post-tests were used to analyze the effectiveness of LL in the process of language learning. The analysis of data revealed that the experimental group showed improvement in performance levels in post-test, as compared to the control group. The findings thereby indicate a considerable level of positive impact of linguistic landscape as authentic material on the development of communicative competence. The findings of the study have implications for ELT in Pakistan.
An Imagological Depiction of Afghans in Pakistani Print Media Cartoons: A Semiotic Study This research is conducted to analyse the image of Afghan nation depicted in selected Pakistani print media cartoons. With the help of Charles Sanders Pierce's semiotic theory, verbal and non-verbal signs are identified to uncover the depicted identity of Afghan nation after Taliban’s retaking in government on August 2021. This study also uses an imagological concept to bring out stereotypes about Afghan nation’s identity, culture and land, while Van Dijk’s ideological square model is used to analyze hetero-stereotypes about Afghan nation and how power dynamics are emphasized by Pakistani cartoonists. The study is qualitative and descriptive in nature. It employs purposive sampling technique. The data of present research includes thirty political cartoons from two selected prominent Pakistani English newspapers: Dawn and Daily Times. The data is collected over a time span of two years from August 2021 to September 2023. The findings of the study reveal that Afghan identity is portrayed as aggressive, violent, unstable and terrorist in the selected cartoons. Media shapes global narratives and public perception while providing important insights into cross-national imagology. The national images have a geopolitical consequence that accentuates further a play of power politics and negative portrayal of ‘them’. Political cartoons frequently reinforce a biased conception with the help of comedy and satire.