Social Attitudinal Differences towards English vs. Punjabi Language: A Study of Middle Class Parents in Faisalabad

Abstract

This paper seeks to investigate the attitudes of globalized middle class parents towards English vs. Punjabi language in Faisalabad. Language is considered as a strong tool and identity marker both at an individual and societal level. Linguistically, Pakistan is a heterogeneous country where bilingualism is a very common phenomenon. However,these languages do not share equal position, prestige, and function. So, the present study aims to identify how parents’ attitudes vary from language to language and what are the reasons of this attitudinal shift. The research population for this study includes 20 different families from different locales of Faisalabad, and for data collection, close-ended questionnaire was used. The data was analyzed descriptively using SPSS, and the results were presented in visual and numerical form. The study is important as it highlights the ideological, social, and educational position of Punjabi and the English language in Faisalabad