Examining Socio-Pragmatic Elements in the Bilingual Urdu Speech Community using Myer's Scotton's Markedness Model and Poplack's Code Switching Categories

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the key socio-pragmatic factors that influence Urdu-English code-switching and to pinpoint the most prevalent categories and types within the Urdu speech community. Due to its widespread use around the globe, English's development has an impact on other languages as well. Although codeswitching is an inescapable practice, it is observed that bilingualism is becoming more widely accepted in Pakistan. This study investigates the Urdu Bilingual Speech Community. The research design of this study is qualitative as the data was analyzed through the Markedness Model, Matrix Language Framework (MLF) Model and Poplack’s categories of code-switching. The final results point to a wide range of sociopragmatic variables, how CS has permeated our lives in Pakistan through the media and various socio-cultural factors, and more. The study's results would help the native Urdu speakers to take some preventative measures to keep it from going extinct.