Balochistan Journal of Linguistics

The Pluralization of the Plurals in Urdu: An OT Analysis

Mubashir Iqbal, Dr. Riaz Ahmed Mangrio — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0500

The study investigates the morpho-phonological processes which are involved the formation of pluralization of plurals in Urdu. Optimality Theory (OT) given by (McCarthy & Prince 1993a, 1993b; Prince & Smolensky 1993) is used as theoretic guide to analyse the data. First, this paper offers an introduction to plural system in Urdu, then it briefly discusses sound plurals which are suffix-based for example kɪt̺ɑb 'book' à kɪt̺ɑb-æ̃ 'books. It nullifies Hardie’s (2004, p. 35) claim that “Urdu inflection is based on suffixation ...." by bringing in evidence from Urdu broken plurals which can be formed through infixation, transfixation and circumfixation. For example, məsdʒɪd̪ 'mosque' à məs-ɑ-dʒɪd̪ 'mosques' is the result of inserting an infix -ɑ- in the middle of the stem. Hardie (2004) and Mangrio (2016) have documented the pluralization through suffixation, and Mangrio (2016) has just hinted the existence of Urdu broken plurals. However, the pluralisation of plurals in Urdu has not been discussed by anybody so far. Therefore, this research investigates the morpho-phonological processes involved in the formation of pluralization of plurals. In the formation of pluralization of plurals, first broken plural, a borrowed pattern from Arabic, is formed, then native pattern is used to form the pluralization of plurals. This phenomenon is found only in Urdu language as yet, and it is estimated that no other language shows pluralization of plurals. This pattern can be illustrated through an example: rəsəm ‘custom’ à r-ʊ-s-uː-m ‘customs’ à rʊsuːm-ɑːt̺ 'customs'. rəsəm is the root and a broken plural rʊsuːm is formed from this root, then the plural-plural marker -ɑːt̺ is attached to the new stem, rʊsuːm, the new stem, which forms rʊsuːm-ɑːt̺, the pluralization of the plural. Morphological and phonological processes are involved in this formation. When the broken plural rʊsuːm is formed, the plural markers are inserted in the stem and the word is completely re-syllabified, and when the plural-plural marker -ɑːt̺ is attached to rʊsuːm to get rʊsuːm-ɑːt̺, the coda in the last syllable of the stem i.e. /m/ becomes the onset of the plural-plural marker. Thus, the syllabification pattern is rə.səm ‘custom’ à rə.suːm à rə.suː.mɑːt̺. Four plural-plural markers: -ɪːn, -ɑ:n, -mi and -ɑːt̺ are found in Urdu. The data for the first three patterns is too little to label them as regular patterns, they may be called exceptions. However, the last marker i.e. -ɑːt̺ is a regular pattern. Moreover, this marker shows two patterns of pluralization and can be called: plural marker and plural-plural marker: firstly, it forms plurals from singulars such as mʌʃ.rub 'drink' à mʌʃ.ru.b-ɑːt̺ 'drinks', and secondly, it also forms plurals from plurals themselves such as d̺ə.vɑ 'medicine' à ʌ-d̺v-ɪj-a 'medicines à ʌd̺vɪj-ɑːt̺ 'kinds/types'. This study is very important for understanding the complex morpho-phonological grammatical patterns of Urdu in general, and Urdu pluralization in particular.

The Re-creation of Conceptual Metaphors in Translation: A Vector of Interconnection among Cultural Diversities

Gulasal Rofieva, Guzal Kambarova — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0500

Metaphor is a fundamental mechanism of language and thought, and its (re)creation in literary translation is essential for transmitting cultural and national meanings across languages. This study examines how conceptual metaphors function within artistic discourse and how their accurate transfer preserves an author’s intent, worldview, and cultural resonance. The aim of this study is to theorize and illustrate how conceptual metaphor theory and conceptual integration can guide the faithful re-creation of metaphors across languages while retaining their semantic depth and cultural significance. A qualitative, integrative research methodology was adopted, combining philosophical–cognitive synthesis with comparative analysis and close reading of selected literary texts. Special attention was given to national-cultural symbolism and pragmatic/axiological constraints. The study reveals that metaphors encode national identity and worldview; categorizing metaphors (ontological, orientational, structural) and modeling blends improves interpretive coherence and reduces cognitive dissonance in translation; and culturally marked metaphors, especially animal and mythic symbols, require strategies beyond literal substitution to preserve function and effect. The results contribute to translator training, culturally informed lexicography, and pedagogy in cognitive stylistics, supporting principled decisions between preservation, adaptation, and explicitation strategies. The study draws on a limited set of languages and case studies; future work should employ corpus-based and psycholinguistic methods to test these results.

Vocabulary Learning through Urdu–English Cognates in ESL Classrooms

Dr. Azhar Pervaiz , Zainab Shaukat, Mr. Abdur Rehman Tariq — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0500

The current study aims to find the role of cognates between English and Urdu. Native speakers of both languages often find it difficult to learn the other. The present study will identify the role and impact of cognates in learning a new language. Cognates are words that have the same linguistic derivation, pronunciation, and meaning as each other. Considering the dialect differences in English and Urdu, the study involved participants from different educational institutions. Data was collected from participants familiar with both languages. Forty participants were included for quantitative data collection, and analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26.0. The findings list the identified words, followed by the study's limitations, recommendations, and conclusions. The results reveal that people have basic information about the role of cognates and recognize how cognates facilitate learning English as a second language. It is recommended that further research should explore more cognate words. These words could be added to the secondary level curriculum to help the second language learning.

Pedagogical Translanguaging: An Interactional Space in Multilingual Classrooms in the Universities of Balochistan

Muhammad Amin, Dr. Ejaz Mirza — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0500

Based on Translanguaging Space as a theoretical framework, this study reports subject content teachers’ language practices in multilingual classrooms in the universities of Balochistan, Pakistan. The study is conducted amid circumstances where English as a Medium of Instruction policy troubles subject content teachers and learners in teaching and learning and, thus, hinders the process of understanding. Overall, 09 classes in three selected universities were observed on convenient basis using non-participant classroom observation as a data collection tool. Data were analyzed at conversation analysis level which revealed instructors’ deviation from ‘one-size-fits-all’ English medium of instructions (EMI) orthodoxy and their reliance on translanguaging in classroom communication. Whereas translingual practices enabled teachers to smoothly shuttle between languages, they empowered learners’ metacognitive levels by strengthening their funds of content knowledge. The implications of this research include advocacy for revising state-sponsored English-only hegemonic policy, licensing pedagogical translanguaging in classroom teaching irrespective of the academic level and recognition of local languages in the country’s language-in-education policy.