UCP Journal of Languages & Literature

An Estimation of Test-Retest Reliability of the Verbal Section of Entrance Test for M.Phil at the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarabad

Nouman Hamid, Sehrish Shafi — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the consistency of test scores as a gauge of test takers' performance on the verbal section of two editions (administrations) of the MPhil entrance exam at the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The objective was to find out the extent to which test takers performed similarly in the two administrations of the same test. For this purpose, the verbal section of University Graduate Aptitude Test (UGAT) was administered to thirty students twice with an interval of eighteen days. The results indicate that students' overall performance on the test was constant between the two administrations. However, on each of the five activities in the verbal portion of the test, students' performance was less consistent as compared to their performance in the overall test. The results have important implications for future research and pedagogy.

Postmodern Plurality in Terrell's The Personal Librarian

Natasha Khalil, Nailah Riaz — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The current research is motivated by the need to examine and bring to light the postmodern phenomena of Subversion of Metanarratives in Terrell’s The Personal Librarian. This research study seeks to achieve insight into the overarching narratives in the story, and the process of disrupting those ideas to assert mininarratives. To achieve this objective, the Theory of Mininarratives introduced by Jean Francois Lyotard in his book The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (1979) is employed. Through an in-depth theoretical analysis, it is found that Terrell’s text exhibits varying grand narratives such as Subjugation of women, Art for Art’s sake as well as the metanarratives of Family and Relationship, which are overthrown by postmodern characters. This research study does not concern itself with other aspects such as Hyperreality, Identity Crisis, Historiographic metafiction and Diaspora. Future researchers can study these features in Terrell’s novel. The research has significance as it expands on prior research that was carried out using postmodern views. Furthermore, it enhances the understanding of postmodern theory, and of the novel's status as a postmodern work of literature.

Abdul Ghani Khan’s Pushto Poetry: Evaluation of Themes and Implications for Cross-Linguistic Literary Studies

Hasnain Khalid, Azeem Alphonce, Muhammad Aslam — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abdul Ghani Khan is a revered poet of Pashto, but he is widely unknown to both Pashto and non-Pashto readers in Pakistan. This study is an attempt to introduce Ghani Khan as a poet to Pashto and non-Pashto readers both nationally and internationally. For presenting Ghani Khan's themes and unique style, descriptive qualitative approach was adopted. Five poems were selected purposively from his English translated collection “The Pilgrim of Beauty” and were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six phases of thematic analysis. The phases included familiarizing with the data, code generation, identifying initial themes, and refining the initial themes, as well as defining the final themes. As a result, 12 "latent themes" were identified and discussed which included love and beauty as blessings, mortality/beauty and immortality/love, love: affliction vs remedy, big questions: absolute truth, sacrifice, escapism, misery, honor, past-glory, rejuvenation, self-realization, and Panther. The study ends with a storyline that was developed to integrate the themes and stylistic individuality of Ghani Khan. The study has implications for the cross-cultural study of literary genres and for applications in Literature classrooms in Pakistani universities.

A Corpus-Based Linguistic Analysis of the Menus in Lahore's Elite Cafes and Restaurants

Iram Sagheer, Ayesha Gulzar , Fatima Suri , Komal Mahmood — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Food makes a strong connection between a person and his culture. However, the culture is greatly influenced by the language, and a person can be easily identified by his food choices. Food is also a source of globalization, for example, we can easily find Chinese, Japanese, and Italian cuisines in Pakistan. The elite cafes and restaurants in Pakistan are offering menus with unique languages that do not represent our culture and social norms. One cannot find Pakistani cuisine with its traditional name on the menus of elite cafes and restaurants. They are under the influence of cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism is the attempt to dominate another culture in our own traditions and values. This resulting cultural homogenization affects the lifestyle of people too. The menu writers are using international languages and cuisines to attract consumers. The names of the dishes and beverages are so weird and bizarre that a person can’t get an idea of what the actual dish is without reading the description of the food item. The research aims to study the menu cards of fifty-five (55) elite-class restaurants and cafes in Lahore, Pakistan. Using purposive sampling in this corpus-study, we have analysed 200 names of different dishes and beverages from these upper-class eateries. The study clearly reveals that Pakistani cuisine and its traditional names are subservient to the international cuisine in Pakistan. This is a major threat to Pakistani food culture and lifestyle that needs to be taken into consideration by the restaurant owner and menu writers. They need to dwindle the availability of international cuisine more than our Pakistani food and the use of international language in naming their food items. The results of this research are an eye-opener for the protectors of Pakistani food culture.

Introducing Discourse-Based English Teaching in Pakistan: The Systemic-Functional Grammar and Visual Grammar Perspectives

Muhammad Aslam, Syed Danish Nasir — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In Pakistan, English is taught as a second language at all tiers of education. But the goal of a desirable discourse competence has never been attained despite several attempts to overhaul syllabus and material development process. The purpose of this reflective paper is to explore an approach to English that will invigorate the efforts being made to develop discourse competence of Pakistani learners. Communication is developed through communication and a concrete model of communication was offered by Halliday in form of his Systemic-Functional grammar. The model has successfully been employed in Australia, Asia, Europe, and even USA. As communication is rapidly shifting to multi-modal means, Visual Grammar is also worthwhile in suggesting the way out to deal with new communicative challenges faced by Pakistani learners of English. To achieve this purpose, an overview of the notion of discourse, main developments in the field of discourse, models of integration of discourse studies with English Education, possibilities and challenges in implementing discourse oriented practices in English learning in Pakistan were discussed with a critical and professional lens. The reflection on the purposefully selected literature reveals that a shift to the discourse paradigm is inevitable for developing discourse competence of the learners. The deliberations in the paper conclude with suggestions for planning and implementation of discourse based English teaching in Pakistan.