CODE-MIXING AND SLANG IN PAKISTANI MEMES: A SOCIOLINGUISTICS STUDY OF HUMOR AND RESISTANCE

Abstract

This research investigates the current Pakistani political memes and youthful slang as potent multimodal texts that express humor, critique, and small daily acts of resistance. The research uses Multimodal Discourse Analysis and Resistance Theory to investigate how visual, textual, and linguistic elements work together to show people who resist underlying stories while expressing their dissatisfaction with the system. The corpus, which includes language from social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, along with popular youth slang expressions such as “scene on hai” (/siːn ɒn hɛː/ the situation is active / everything is set), “sir ka chamcha” (/sɪr kaː tʃəmtʃaː/ teacher’s favorite / sycophant), and “program tu war gaya” (/proːɡraːm tu vɑːr ɡəjaː/he plan got ruined), shows that the digital world is lively, humorous, and full of creativity. In the digital space, young people do not simply accept power structures; instead, they cleverly reshape and challenge them through playful and inventive language. Results indicate that memes and slang denote resistance through irony, exaggeration, semiotic layering, and parody, thus making it possible for the youth to practice dissent in a socially approved and amusing way. The combination of visual, verbal, and color elements with inter-textual references creates an effective message that people can easily and comfortably criticize. The analysis shows that memes and slang from Pakistan function as powerful cultural tools that enable people to build their shared identity while they challenge power structures and express their views in online spaces.