Language Attrition and its Impact on Culture – A Case of Saraiki in Dera Ghazi Khan Region

Abstract

Language attrition is primarily the loss of language and subsequently the loss of culture and identity. A number of languages have become extinct, and many languages of the world are near extinction. This study analyzes the impact of language attrition on Saraiki and its culture in the D. G. Khan region. This research takes into consideration two domains of language use: home and university. Paradis's (2004) Activated Threshold Hypothesis (ATH) supplemented with Bot, Lowie & Verspoor's (2007) Dynamic Systems Theory (DST) has been adopted as a theoretical framework. The mixed-method approach has been used, and a sample of 100 respondents was selected from the target population. The respondents were instructed to define certain Saraiki vocabulary items, and their responses were recorded. The findings show that socio-economic, socio-cultural, socio-political and socio-demographic factors are responsible for the language attrition of Saraiki and the subsequent impact on the culture of the speakers in the selected locale.