Peace Sociolinguistics: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of Pakistani English Newspapers

Abstract

This paper is a qualitative sociolinguistic study that theorizes the place of English as an official/second language in Pakistan. The data are taken from six Pakistani English newspapers covering the Pak-EU discourse from 2002 to 2018. This investigation uses constructivist grounded theory methodology (an off-shoot of grounded theory methodology) to generate a theory that shedslight on the peace potential of English language as used in the selected data. It is subsumed under the parameters of peace sociolinguistics, a relatively new field within the broader discipline of sociolinguistics. Peace sociolinguistics acknowledges all languages to be carriers of human values and capable of bringing different peoples together. In the classic style of grounded theorymethodology, primacy is given to language and codes are developed in order to show how English language is used to portray a common reality between two world entities, Pakistan and the EU. This sociolinguistic constructivist grounded theory study is underpinned by social constructionism which takes the view that language does not just describe the world but actively constructsit, having real consequences. The socially constructed reality presented here is shared and contextual and takes the form of a rigorous theory called “a theory of peace sociolinguistics of the EU-Pak discourse in selected Pakistani English newspapers.'' This theoretical rendering demonstrates the viability of English to be used for peaceful purposes while challenging the current dual status ofEnglish as a colonial legacy and a necessary agent of globalization.