INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF HONORIFICS AND NONHONORIFICS ON THE EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING OF EFL UNDERGRADUATES IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study examined how Pakistani EFL (English as a Foreign Language) undergraduates perceive teachers’ use of honorific versus nonhonorific address forms and how this relates to students’ emotional and social well-being. We surveyed 100 undergraduates (50 male, 50 female) using a Likert-scale questionnaire that assessed comfort, respect, anxiety, motivation, and connectedness in response to teacher language (e.g. “aap” vs. “tum”, “Mr.”/“Miss”, kinship terms). Descriptive statistics and cross‐tabulations were computed in SPSS. Results showed overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward honorific usage. Formal address (“aap”, “Mr.”/“Miss”, respectful kinship terms) scored highest indicating that students feel more comfortable and respected when teachers use honorifics. Informal forms (“tum” or absence of honorifics) scored lower and most students disagreed that the absence of honorifics is harmless. Aggregated measures showed high social well-being and positive emotional well-being associated with honorific use. These findings suggest that appropriate use of culturally respectful address reduces anxiety and promotes respect and belonging which in turn boosts engagement in the classroom. The results are interpreted using Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory (1987) and Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions (2001): in collectivist, moderately high power-distance Pakistan, honorifics serve to pay deference and preserve “face,” enhancing students’ sense of respect, connectedness and inclusivity. We conclude that teacher training on culturally appropriate honorific use could promote students’ social-emotional growth. This research contributes to understanding how classroom language practices influence student well-being in a specific cultural context which, in turn, influences their EFL learning, directly or indirectly.