Code-Switching in the Selected Anglophone Pakistani Fiction

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the types and reasons for the use of code-switching in three Anglophone Pakistani novels. Nobody Killed Her, The Wish Maker, and The Lost Pearl are the titles of these novels. Content analysis is used to narrow down the words, phrases, and sentences related to code switching and code-mixing theories. Using Hoffman's ideas, the research investigates code switching and code mixing. The findings revealed that all three types of code switching and code mixing are present in the novels Nobody Killed Her and The Wish Maker, whereas emblematic switching and change in pronunciation are not found in The Lost Pearl and the other two types of code switching and code mixing were found in the novel. Intra- sentential switching and Intra-lexical mixing both are common type of code switching and code mixing found in each novel. The writer who has used code switching and code mixing frequently is Ali Sethi in The Wish Maker. Talking about particular topic, quoting somebody else, being emphatic about something, interjection, repetition used for clarification, intention of clarifying the speech content for interlocutor and expressing group identity are found in Nobody Killed Her and The Wish Maker while Interjection that is the reason of using switching and mixing is not present in the novel The Lost Pearl. This research contributes to the current understanding of the using multiple languages and codes in literary works and sheds light on the unique linguistic phenomenon present in Pakistani literature.