Pakistani English (also known as Paklish or Pinglish) is the group of English language varieties spoken and written in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It was first so recognised and designated in the 1970s and 1980s. Pakistani English (PE), similar and related to

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...

, is slightly different from other dialects of English in respect to vocabulary, syntax, accent, spellings of some words and other features. While English is not a common native language in Pakistan, it is used widely in education, commerce, and the legal and judicial systems.

History

Although British rule in the Subcontinent lasted for almost two hundred years, the areas which lie in what is now Pakistan were amongst the last to be annexed: Sindh in 1842,

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

(which initially included the

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followi ...

) in 1849, and parts of Baluchistan, including Quetta and the outer regions in 1879, while the rest of the Baluchistan region became a princely state within the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. As a result, British English had less time to become part of local culture though it did become part of elite culture as it was used in elite schools and in higher education, as in the rest of Subcontinent. The colonial policies which made English a marker of elite status and the language of power—being used in such domains of power as the civil service, the officer corps of the armed forces, the higher judiciary, universities, prestigious newspapers, radio and entertainment—was due to British policies and the continuation of these policies by Pakistani Governments. The roots of Pinglish in Pakistan can be traced back to the 19th century, when

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...

encouraged the Muslims to learn English and utilize it as a medium of resistance against the British. In 1947 upon Pakistan's establishment, English became the de facto

official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...

, a position which was formalised in the Constitution of Pakistan of 1973. Together with

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' languages of the country. English language continues as the language of power and is also the language with the maximum

cultural capital In the field of sociology, cultural capital comprises the social assets of a person (education, intellect, style of speech, style of dress, etc.) that promote social mobility in a stratified society. Cultural capital functions as a social relatio ...

of any language used in Pakistan. It remains much in demand in higher education in

. The term ''Pinglish'' was first recorded in 1999, being a blend of the words Pakistani and English, with the 'e' changed to 'i' to better represent pronunciation. Another colloquial

portmanteau word A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsIndian English, but since the Partition of India, there have been some very obvious differences. Rahman argues that PE is an interference variety of English created by the use of the features of Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and other languages spoken in Pakistan. He further divides PE into Anglicised English, which is very similar to the speech and writing of the speakers of British Standard English (BSE),

acrolect A post-creole continuum (or simply creole continuum) is a dialect continuum of varieties of a creole language between those most and least similar to the superstrate language (that is, a closely related language whose speakers assert or asserted d ...

PE, which is used by Pakistanis educated in English-medium schools, mesolectal PE, which is used by ordinary, Urdu-educated Pakistanis and basilect PE, which is used by people of little formal education, such as guides and waiters. Words and expressions of PE have been noted by a number of scholars, including unique idioms and colloquial expressions as well as accents. It has been claimed in the early years of the millennium that foreign companies find accent neutralisation easier in Pakistan than in India, however no follow up studies have been carried out. Also, like Indian English, Pakistani English has preserved many phrases that are now considered antiquated in Britain.

Use in Pakistan

Urdu and English are Pakistan's official languages. All government documents, many street signs, many shop signs, business contracts and other activities use English. The language of the courts is also English. English is taught to all school-level Pakistani students, and in many cases the medium of instruction is also in English. Although there are also many schools that teach in the local languages, there is a huge emphasis on English as a second language especially in standardised testing. At college and university level, all instructions are typically in English. Pakistan boasts a large English language press and (more recently) media. All of Pakistan's major dailies are published in or have an edition in English. State-run PTV World is a major English Language News Channel in the country, while previously

Dawn News Dawn News is one of Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group. The test transmission of the station occ ...

and Tribune 24/7 were other English Language news channels with one later switching its language to

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Indus News Indus News was an English language Pakistani international news channel launched in November 2018. It was part of Aap Media Network and was broadcast on Paksat. The channel was based in Islamabad. History The channel was owned by Pakistani bu ...

is now another major English Language News Channel in Pakistan.

Code-switching In linguistics, code-switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation or situation. Code-switching is different from plurilingualis ...

(the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation) is common in Pakistan and almost all conversations in whatever language have a significant English component. The language of pleading in all courts of Pakistan is also English.

Literature

Grammar

The role of English within the complex multilingual society of Pakistan is far from straightforward: it is used across the country by speakers with various degrees of proficiency; the grammar and phraseology may mimic that of the speaker's first language. While Pakistani speakers of English use idioms peculiar to their homeland (often literal translations of words and phrases from their native languages), this is far less common in proficient speakers, and grammar tends to be quite close to that of Standard English but exhibiting some features of

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...

Phonology

Pakistani English

phonology Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs. The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a ...

follows that of

. It may be rhotic or non-rhotic. Rahman provides a broad introduction to the phonology of Pakistani English. Some common features of PE are:

Consonants

* in almost all regions of Pakistan is realised as and is realised as . * Most PE speakers can't distinguish well between and , pronouncing them both as . * The quality of sound in PE is usually . * Most, if not all, PE speakers do not aspirate their voiceless plosives . * PE does not have ( velarised L) * PE speakers use before vowels in some words where standard Englishes (GenAmE and SSBE) would use , for example, ''"singer"'' is pronounced * PE speakers use after consonants in words where standard Englishes would use , so ''"English"'' is pronounced rather than . * The dental fricatives and are realised as dental stops i.e. and respectively.

Vowels and diphthongs

* The vowel quality of and is something closer to * in PE is realised as * The BATH vowel is realised as or * is realised as * The vowel in THOUGHT group (J. C. Wells Lexical sets) is realised by virtually all PE speakers as

Influences

Pakistani English is heavily influenced by Pakistan's languages as well as the English of other nations. Many words or terms from Urdu, such as 'cummerbund', have entered the global language and are also found in Pakistan. In addition the area which is now Pakistan was home to the largest garrisons of the British Indian Army (such as Rawalpindi and Peshawar) and this, combined with the post-partition influence of the

Pakistan Military The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

, has ensured that many military terms have entered the local jargon. The type of English taught (and preferred) is

. The heavy influence and penetration of American culture through television, films and other media has brought in great influences of American English.

Vocabulary and colloquialisms

Pakistani English contains many unique terms, as well as terms which are utilised somewhat differently in Pakistan. For instance, "" is used for

potato chip A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...

s as well as for French fries (usage of these terms is common in the UK) and "" is used for both lime and lemon. * "" – Respectful way of addressing anyone who is significantly older than oneself: "Uncle, please give way". * Use of ''double'' and ''triple'' for numbers occurring twice or three times in succession (this is also in usage in the UK), especially for a phone number: for example, a phone number 2233344 would be pronounced as "double two, triple three, double four"; however the phone number 2222555 would be pronounced as ”double two, double two, triple five”. * ''Shopper'' means a shopping bag, rather than a person who is shopping, the latter is referred to as a customer. * ''Petrol pump'' — This term used to refer to a petrol station (gas station). * ''Opening/closing an object'' refers to turning something on or off; this is due to the verbs for to open and to close being the same as the verbs for to turn on and to turn off in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Pakistan Army. Also used for upwardly mobile, ambitious or

nouveau riche ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

. * ''Miss'' is used to address or refer to female teachers, whatever their marital status, e.g. ''Yes, I have done my homework, Miss.'' Less commonly used to refer to women colleagues or subordinates. (Usage is also common in the UK) * ''Madam'' is used to address and refer to females in positions of authority, usually a superior, e.g. ''Madam has ordered me to get the figures for last year's sales.'' Can also be used as a noun, e.g. ''She is the madam of that department'' meaning she is the head of the department, without it being derogatory. * ''Sir'' is used for a male superior, often combined with their name or used as a noun. E.g. ''Is Sir in?'' or ''Sir Raza wants to see you in his office as soon as possible''. * ''Well left'' – avoided artfully, often a tricky situation; from

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, the term "well left" is applied when a batsman chose not to play a potentially dangerous delivery, e.g. ''I well left that offer, it could have caused many problems.'' * ''Threw/Received a googly'' – an unexpected situation arose, a person was surprised, often unpleasantly, e.g. ''had just settled down and then got the googly about the transfer''. From

googly In the game of cricket, a googly refers to a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is different from the normal delivery for a leg-spin bowler in that it is turning the other way. The googly is ''not'' a variation of the ...

, a delivery in cricket. * ''Yorker'' – a sudden, dangerous and potentially devastating situation; similar use to

, but usually has a certain amount of danger attached to it. ''My mother's heart attack while we were hiking in the mountains hit like a

yorker In cricket, a yorker is a ball bowled (a delivery) which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance, this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's ...

, we were far from any medical help''. Also used in a similar manner; ''

bouncer A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...

''. All three terms are derived from actual

deliveries, cricket being a popular sport in the country. * ''Hit middle stump'' – did an action in such a manner that there is little room for further action, or a decisive blow, e.g. ''Really hit middle stump last year on that contract''. Also derived from cricket. * ''Master Sahib'', contracted to ''Ma'Sahib'' – used to refer to a master craftsman. The term is now used more frequently to refer to tailors and carpenters. * ''Drinking a cigarette/cigar'' – smoking a cigarette. This is due to the verbs for smoking being the same as the verbs for drinking in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

at Presidency College"), whereas in the United States it refers to completion of Highschool, Master's or PhD as well. * ''Paining'' – ''hurting'' would be correct in Standard American and British: "My head is paining." * ''Shirtings and suitings'' – the process of making such garments; a suffix in names of shops specialising in men's formal/business wear. * ''Timings'' – hours of operation; scheduled time, such as ''office timings'' or ''train timings'', as opposed to the standard usage such as "The timing of his ball delivery is very good." * ''

Gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...

'' – generalised term for social class – not specifically 'high social class'. The use of 'good', 'bad', 'high' and 'low' prefixed to 'gentry' is common. * ''

mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...

'' –

goat meat Goat meat or goat's meat is the meat of the domestic goat ''(Capra aegagrus hircus)''. The common name for goat meat is simply "goat", while that from young goats can be called ''capretto'' (It.), ''cabrito'' (Sp. and Por.) or ''kid''. In South ...

instead of sheep meat. Words unique to (i.e. not generally well known outside South Asia) and/or popular in Pakistan include those in the following by no means exhaustive list: * ''batchmate'' or ''batch-mate'' (not classmate, but a schoolmate of the same grade) * ''compass box'' for a box holding mathematical instruments like compasses, divider, scale, protractor etc.; also widely referred to as a "geometry box" * ''cousin-brother'' (male

first cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

) and ''cousin-sister'' (female first cousin) * ''overhead bridge'' (bridge meant for pedestrians) * ''flyover'' (overpass or an over-bridge over a section of road or train tracks) * ''godown'' (warehouse) * ''godman'' somewhat pejorative word for a person who claims to be divine or who claims to have supernatural powers * ''gully'' to mean a narrow lane or alley (from the Hindi word "gali" meaning the same). * ''long-cut'' (the opposite of "short-cut", in other words, taking the longest route). * ''mugging/cramming'' or ''mugging up'' (memorising, usually referring to learning "by rote," as used in British English and having nothing to do with street crime, that the expression might also mean in British/American English). * ''nose-screw'' (woman's nose-ring) * '' prepone'' (The "opposite" of postpone, that is to change a meeting to be earlier). Many dictionaries have added this word. * ''

tiffin Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light breakfast or a light tea-time meal at about 3 p.m., consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in s ...

box'' for lunch box. The word is also commonly used to mean a between-meal snack. * ''BHK'' is real-estate terminology for "Bedroom, Hall and Kitchen", used almost exclusively in housing size categorisation. "Hall" refers to the living room, which is highlighted separately from other rooms. For instance, a 2BHK apartment has a total of three rooms – two bedrooms and a living room. ** ''co-brother'' indicates relationship between two men who are married to sisters, as in "He is my co-brother" * ''co-inlaws'' indicates relationship between two sets of parents whose son and daughter are married, as in "Our co-inlaws live in Karachi." ** ''co-sister'' indicates relationship between two women who are married to brothers, as in "She is my co-sister" * ''boss'' is a term used to refer to a male stranger such as shopkeeper: "Boss, what is the cost of that pen?" * '' vote-bank'' is a term commonly used during the elections in Pakistan, implying a particular bloc or community of people inclined to cast their votes for a political party that promises to deliver policies favouring them. * ''pant'' – Trousers * ''Mess'' – A dining hall, especially used by students at a dormitory. "Mess" is also used in reference to eateries catering primarily to a working class population. Originated from the military term of similar meaning. * '' Eve teasing'' – Verbal sexual harassment of women. * ''"Where are you put up?"'' means 'Where are you currently staying?". * "''Out of station''": "out of town". This phrase has its origins in the posting of army officers to particular "stations" during the days of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

. * ing pricey''":"''acting pricey''": playing "hard to get", being snobbish. * "'' pass out''" is meant to graduate, as in "''I passed out of the university in 1995''". In American/British English, this usage is limited to graduating out of military academies. * "''tight slap''" to mean "hard slap". * ''Time-pass'' – Doing something for leisure but with no intention or target/satisfaction, procrastination, pastime. * ''Time-waste '' – Something that is a waste of time; procrastination. Presumably not even useful for leisure. * ''Pindrop silence'' – Extreme silence (quiet enough to hear a pin drop). * ''chargesheet:'' n. formal charges filed in a court; v. to file charges against someone in court * redressal: n. redress, remedy, reparation * "Hill Station" – mountain resort. * "stepney" refers to a spare tyre. The word is a

genericised trademark A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...

originating from the ''Stepney Spare Motor Wheel'', itself named after Stepney Street, in

Llanelli Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarth ...

, Wales. * Cooling glasses – sunglasses * "cent per cent", "cent percent" – "100 percent/100 per cent" as in "He got cent per cent in math/maths". * "loose motion" – diarrhoea * "''expire''" – To die, especially in reference to one's family member. * "''bunking''" – To skip class without permission, compare UK ''bunking off'' * "''carrying''" – to be pregnant, as in "She is carrying". * "pressurise" – to put pressure on someone, to influence. * "club" or "clubbing" – To merge or put two things together. "Just club it together.” * "cantonment" – permanent military installation. * "taking an exam/test" as opposed to "taking/writing an exam", a phrase more commonly used in the US and Canada. ("giving a test" is used to refer to a person who is going to conduct the test) * "register" as opposed to "notebook," a phrase more commonly used in the US. * "copy" is used for notebook. * "lady finger" is used for

okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...

. Words which are considered archaic in some varieties of English, but are still in use in Pakistani English: * ''Curd'' – ''yogurt'' * ''Dicky/Dickey/Digy'' – the trunk of a car (also ''obs'' "dicky seat" UK). * ''In tension'' – being concerned or nervous. Phrased another way, "He is taking too much tension". Found in eighteenth-century British English. * ''Into'' – ''multiplied by'', as in ''2 into 2 equals 4'', rather than ''2 times 2 is 4'', which is more common in other varieties of English. The use of ''into'' dates back to the fifteenth century, when it had been common in British English.multiply, v., Oxford English Dictionary, 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009 * '' ragging'' – also used in public schools in the UK, hazing (US). * Use of ''thrice'', meaning "three times", is common in Pakistani English. * Use of the phrases ''like nothing'' or ''like anything'' to express intensity. For example, "These people will cheat you like anything". Such usage was part of colloquial English language in seventeenth century Britain and America.like, a., adv. (conj.), and n.2, Oxford English Dictionary, 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=like%20anything Reference.com. Retrieved 1 July 2009 * Word pairs "up to" and "in spite" compounded to "upto" and "inspite" respectively. * ''Over'' – to speak frankly. "Don't be too over with me." * ''Weeping'' – crying.

Numbering system

The Pakistani numbering system is preferred for digit grouping. When written in words, or when spoken, numbers less than 100,000 are expressed just as they are in Standard English. Numbers including and beyond 100,000 are expressed in a subset of the Pakistani numbering system. Thus, the following scale is used: Larger numbers are generally expressed as multiples of the above."Back Corporate chiefs getting crores in salaries: 100 and counting!"
SmartInvestor.in

Medical terms

Often the cause of undesirable confusion. * ''Viral Fever'': Influenza *''Flu:'' Common Cold * ''Sugar'': Diabetes * ''Jaundice'': Acute Hepatitis. While standard medical terminology uses jaundice for a symptom (yellow discolouration of skin), in Pakistan the term is used to refer to the illness in which this symptom is most common. * ''

Allopathy Allopathic medicine, or allopathy, is an archaic term used to define science-based modern medicine. Citing: ''Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine'' (2008) and ''Mosby's Medical Dictionary'', 8th ed. (2009). There are regional variations in usage of th ...

'', used by homoeopaths to refer to conventional medicine.

Food

* ''

Brinjal Eggplant ( US, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world' ...

'': aubergines / eggplant * '' Capsicum'': called chili pepper, red or green pepper, or sweet pepper in the UK and US; capsicum in Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India; bell pepper in the US, Canada, and the Bahamas; and paprika in the US and some other countries. * ''Curds'':

Yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...

* ''Sooji'': Semolina * ''Pulses'', ''

dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

'': pulses, e.g.

lentils The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest produ ...

* ''

Karahi A ''karahi'' (; as, কেৰাহী, kerahi, bn, কড়া, koṛā, hi, कड़ाही, kaṛāhī, Marathi: कढई, ur, ; also ''kadai, kerahi, karai, kadhi, kadahi, kadhai'' ''sarai'', or ''cheena chatti'') is a type of th ...

'', ''kadai'': wok * ''

Sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

'': tapioca, Yuca in US * ''Ladyfinger, bhindi'':

* ''Sabzi'': greens, green vegetables

References

External links

The Urdu-English Relationship and Its Impact on Pakistan's Social Development
Claims "the current portion of the population that is functional in verbal and written English is less than two percent." {{Navboxes , title =Articles Related to Pakistani English , list = {{English dialects by continent {{English official language clickable map {{Languages of Pakistan Languages attested from the 1970s Languages of Pakistan Dialects of English Languages of the Pakistani diaspora