WORDS OF BELONGING: THE IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION THROUGH KINSHIP TERMS IN PAKISTANI ENGLISH

Abstract

This article shows how kinship terms are used to identify oneself and address others in Pakistani English, focusing on how the words can be used by speakers to negotiate social relationships, express cultural values and provide the indication of identity. In a sociolinguistics, study of conversation data and interviews shows that the terms of kinship such as brother, sister, chachu, bhabi and some others are employed to establish solidarity, to show respect and values and to indicate in-group membership. This qualitative study, applying the thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021), discusses the difficulties of language, culture and identity in Pakistani English and notes how these kinship terms are a significant resource to create and negotiate individual and social identity.