Research
The Sufi Phenomenon: The Case of ElifShafakas The Forty Rules of Love
This paper is intended to analyze the delineation of the Sufi Phenomenon in ElifShafak’s novel “The Forty Rules of Loveâ€. The novel draws a correlation between the world of 13th century and that of 21st century through the parallel narratives of development of friendship of a renowned scholar-turned-poet, Rumi and a mystic Sufi, Shams, and that of a mystic writer, Aziz and a housewife, Ella. Emanating out of the precincts of religion, time and space, the concept of a Universal Spirituality is presented; the bedrock of which is Love.The tenets of this Universal spirituality are derived from Sufism. Shafak has depicted this Universal Spirituality a mutual platform of communion and relation for the mankind, be of East or West, and Love is that centripetal force that can bind them together. It is where all music attunes to the One symphony and Unity is realized.
Englishization of Urdu
The present research is intended to explore the mechanism which is causing, driving and accelerating the process of language change in Urdu. The particular focus is on the interplay of various factors which are resulting in the emergence of a more English-like Urdu language. The phenomenon of language change has been approached from a societal perspective and the link between social change and language change has been given particular attention by assuming that a change in society leads to a corresponding change in language and vice versa. Keeping in view the complex and multi-pronged nature of language-change, a mixed methodology has been employed. The findings show that changes in language are caused by different and numerous considerations and that these changes are natural, neutral and inevitable.
Language and Culture
This research article is intended to explore the extent to which English language has influenced the culture of the Sub-continent. The assumption that any lexical item is a product of collaborative forces like economic scenario, ethical framework, political configuration,psychological makeup and religious approach of any culture inculcates the proposition that lexicon-adoption is not a purely linguistic phenomenon. Appropriation of the cultural background of the ‘Carrier’ word by the ‘Receiving’ culture is also the consequence of this lexicon-adoption. The assertion of this premise is established by data collection through a self- administered questionnaire with a sample size of 200 people. The result amplifies the validity of the idea that language arrogation can never be seen in isolation from its cultural implications.
Language Shift
This research is intended to ascertain the factors that are responsible for banishing Punjabi language and a corresponding adoption of English language, though apparently the panoramic milieu is hostile to this shift. Language shift is a societal trend and society formation is based on collaborative work of certain factors, by following this line of reasoning, a hypothesis is formed that language shift is burgeoned, motivated and accelerated by an implicit working of historical, cultural, social, economic and psychological factors. In order to examine the validity of hypothesis, data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire with a sample size of hundred people. The result shows that these factors are involved, though at varying degree, in this germinating trend of shift from Punjabi to English language.
