LANGUAGE IN INDIA

A Look into the Causes of Language Choice among Female Students
in Academic Setting in Pakistan

Mujahid Shah, M.A., M.Phil. Scholar
Zafar Iqabl Khattak, M.A., Ph.D. Scholar
Muhammad Gulfraz Abbasi, M.A., Ph.D. Scholar

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the causes of gender difference in terms of the language choice in an academic setting. As socio-cultural and Psychological aspects are considered to be two of the major factors, which affect the choice of language in different settings and situations, it was deemed important to explore the language choice for male and female students having Hindko/Pashto as mother tongue, Urdu as Second language/national language and English as Foreign language. A questionnaire probing language choice was developed and data were collected from120 participants comprising Secondary, college and university students including 60 male and female each.

Data analysis revealed that the factors which strongly affect the female choice of language are mostly psychological (inferiority complex) and socio-cultural including social status, prestige, social behaviour and others. The research has significant value; it not only highlights the vital role of psychological and socio-cultural elements in shaping linguistic behaviour but also brings into limelight one of the major areas for research that still needs to be explored in Pakistan.

1.0 Introduction

In our daily life we make choices and our reasoning and choices govern our behaviour. As language is the part of human behaviour, so same is the case with language. We often make choices when we speak. According to Karl Popper and John Eccles, the very origin of language indissolubly is linked with choices. Here is what they say:

We could say that in choosing to speak, and to take interest in speech, man has chosen to evolve his brain and his mind; that language once created, exerted the selection pressure under which emerged the human brain and consciousness of self. (Popper & Eccles, 1977:13).

So, the important point is that making choices is the central part of human condition and they make choices in speech as well. Our choices are subject to restrictions even from the early stage of our speaking.

On linguistic choices there can be physical or cognitive restrictions, grammatical restrictions and social restrictions. For example the need to sleep put natural restrictions on the length of our sentences. The range of speech sound is restricted by our auditory system which is designed to perceive and process sound in a range between 12 and 20,000 cycles/second.

These types of restrictions are physical or cognitive restrictions.

There are grammatical restrictions as well. For example, gender agreement between article, noun and adjective is a good example. French 'bon' and 'bonne' are forms of 'good'. 'It is bon mot', literally a good word but 'bonne action', a good deed. Mot 'word' is masculine whereas action 'deed', is feminine. So, the use of 'bonne or bon forms is determined by agreement rules. Agreement rules are restrictions on choices. What they mean is that, if a language has a gender system, the speakers are not free in their choices of gender forms of nouns, adjectives and articles.

Similarly there are choices which are not determined by physical or grammatical restrictions but by social norms for example there are restrictions on choices between coexisting varieties. For instance English words like 'fast' have, in standard British pronunciation, a long vowel [a:] but in Australian pronunciation it is pronounced a bit archaic, or in some American varieties it borders on [ae] along with other adjustments they make to blend in their environment.

Speech varieties are markers of group membership. So, one tries to use the right forms and pronunciation in order to conform to the group he is trying to join.

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