EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE DOMINANCE ON THE LINGUISTIC STANDING OF URDU AND PUNJABI LANGUAGES

Abstract

One of the most important factors in a nation's social, political, and educational development is language, which is a multidisciplinary approach. A society benefits from its language since it dictates how a nation behaves in all respects. Although English is advised as the state-sanctioned language but Pakistan is a heterogeneous nation where many regional languages are spoken in addition to the official language. The current study's objective is to assess how the rise of English has affected the linguistic status of Urdu and Punjabi languages and to provide a descriptive explanation of the findings. One hundred students of the higher education institutions, randomly selected, were asked to complete a questionnaire containing thirty three question items. According to the study's findings, people in Pakistan are more influenced by the English language and are giving up their native languages as being influenced by English because English is the widely used language leaving Urdu and Punjabi at linguistic risk and change. The study demonstrates that, among many other factors, the primary cause of Urdu and Punjabi's marginalization is the carelessness of their own speakers, who are enthralled with the latest trends and fail to work to preserve their languages' standing. The findings indicate that those who are driven to acquire English at the expense of their native languages now find it essential. The study has therefore come to the conclusion that Urdu and Punjabi languages may be in danger of going extinct in the next decades as a result of English language's dominance.