Pashto-English Contact: A Study of Intergenerational Lexical Variations

Abstract

In pursuit of understanding the factors contributing to Pashto-English contact and intergenerational lexical variations in Pashto speakers, sixty participants, including 30 young speakers of 15-30 years old and 30 elder participants aged 50 and above (both males and females) were selected through purposive and snowballing techniques. Guided by the Variationist Theory, proposed by Labov and adapted by Wanjiku, the research seeks to unravel the underlying causes behind these linguistic phenomena. With a tapestry of descriptive and qualitative methodology, the study endeavours to get a vivid picture of the linguistic landscape of Tehsil Kabal, District Swat. Data collection was executed through unmonitored interviews, capturing the essence of natural language exchange in the natural form. The data of both generations was keenly observed and compared. The findings revealed that the language variations were woven with threads of borrowing, word loss, modernization, loan translations, and the influence of schooling. As such, the causes behind these language patterns bring forth new insights into language evolution in the target region.