Interdisciplinary Journal of Linguistics

Department of Linguistics

University of Kashmir

Print ISSN: 0974-3421 Online ISSN: 0974-3421

Urdu orthography is bidirectional in which words are read from right to left and the numerals from left to right direction. The changes in reading directions of words and numerals pose challenges for the readers with regard to their lexical recognition strategies, inhibition of control for planning saccadic eye movements, and shifting of attention. The present study examined the effect of change in reading direction on brain activities with the help of Electroencephalogram (EEG). The study was performed on nineteen adult native Urdu speakers (M=12, F=7; Avg. Age= 37.4 years). It was observed that upon the change in reading direction in articulating numerals, an event-related potential (ERP) occurs with a latency of 200ms in the left anterior temporal and posterior middle temporal region. However, the polarity of the peak was observed positive for changing the reading direction of numerals from left-to-right to the direction of words from right-to-left. The same peak was observed to be negative when the direction changed vice versa. It was also observed that the areas responsible for recognition of information (right anterior superior temporal region) show early ERPs when the change in direction occurs from right-to-left to left-to-right as compared to the change in reading direction from left-to-right to right-to-left.

In a number of investigated varieties of Arabic, the progressive aspect interpretation of sentence has been linked to the use of the participle jaals/gaad 'sit'. In other words, in a sentence where the participle jaals/gaad 'sit' is used before the imperative form of the verb, the sentence is interpreted as progressive; that is to say jaals/gaad 'sit' is viewed as a progressive aspectual marker. In this descriptive paper, through providing data from a variety of Arabic spoken in the northern border region of Saudi Arabia, it is shown that the participle jaals/gaad 'sit is not only used in sentences with progressive interpretation, ongoing events but it is also used in sentences with non-progressive interpretation, non-ongoing events. More importantly, the paper shows that there are semantic functions behind using jaals/gaad 'sit'; something that has not been shown before.

When foreign words are borrowed into a language, they undergo some changes to conform to or suit the phonology of the borrowing language. They may undergo substitution, deletion, or insertion of segments during borrowing. This study looks at the Arabic loanwords in the Mappila dialect of Malayalam. The paper examines the Arabic loanwords elicited in Malayalam, employing Danesi's Integrated Model of Loanword Nativisation as the conceptual framework. It is observed that the Arabic segments in the borrowed words, especially those not present in Malayalam, undergo minimal changes during the adaptation process. These processes are normally triggered by some constraints operating in the borrowing language. The study shows that there is a significant degree of regularity in the adaptations of these loanwords. The paper also emphasizes that loanword adaptation is more phonological than phonetic. The borrowers correctly identify the foreign phonological segments in the loanwords and adapt them to suit their native phonology. The discerned high degree of regularity in loanword adaptations, with infrequent irregularities stemming from non phonological factors, contributes valuable insights into the phonological dynamics of the borrowing language.

The European Plantation Cereoles have been analyzed by creating a schism between the superstratum and substratum languages in most studies. Generally, the lexicon of cereoles is restructured to the extent that it becomes often difficult to trace its lexifier language. In this lexicon of Bishnupriya Manipuri , a lesser known language contact language spoken in parts of Assam and Tripura in North east India. The structure and distribution of these semantic categories of lexicon enable us to locate the socio historical and demographical contact of the language varieties of two distinct language families, Eastern Indo-Aryan and Tibeto- Burman that lead to the creation of Bishnupriya Manipuri . This study reveals that identifying and fltering lexifier language in Bishnupriya manipuri is not possible given the complex process of multiple contacts among diverse linguistic and cultural groups that lead to the emergence of Bishnupriya Manipuri. This study shows hopw lexicon can provide cues in tracing the genetic composition of a contact language especially in indian context.

The present paper aims to discern the socio-psychological preferences given to different languages being the part of verbal repertoire of migrant Kashmiri Pandit Youth who have migrated to Jammu and Udhampur areas during the turmoil of 1990’s. To understand the linguistic situation of the migrant community, the socio-psychological tendencies in the patterns of language preservation, language use and language shift towards another language/s was examined. For the present study, data was elicited from a random sample of 400 informants (200 each from Jammu and Udhampur), falling within the age group of 10 to 30 years.

This paper examines and discusses the ergativity in Kinnauri in terms of the alignment properties in nominal domain, i.e., the case marking of core arguments and their interpretations, as well as in verbal domain, i.e., agreement between the core arguments. The language shows split behavior; the ergative manifests in alignment pattern in different tense/ aspect and case marking of subject and object (i.e., differential case marking) and in agreement which cross references the core argument in verbal domain and shows verbal agreement with the subject or the object and also illustrates default agreement. This paper particularly examines the case marking of core arguments of the clause i.e. S, A and O.

This study considers the application of Halliday’s theory of transitivity in the political discourse of the two US presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The paper aims to identify and explain how the two presidents made use of processes of transitivity in their announcements on the killing of Bin Laden and Baghdadi, respectively, and what that implies. The objectives are twofold: First is to find out the type of transitivity processes employed by Obama and Trump. Second is to reveal the communicative implications in the use of the processes. The study employs Halliday’s theory of transitivity and the data included the full oral announcements of the two presidents. From the analysis, it was found that the two presidents used the transitivity processes: material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, and existential. The findings show that material and relational processes dominate the other processes, which indicates that both announcements are concerned with actions and characterization of violence. Mental processes indicated that Trump used cognition more than Trump did. It was also found that the presidents used less behavioral and least existential processes.

The discourse of death spans across various disciplines and not limited to religion, philosophy, social sciences, and life sciences. As discourse analysis in linguistics aims at bringing out the features of language in a particular context, the context of death becomes all the more interesting as it is an inevitable reality closer to human beings, considered a taboo to talk directly about (in many cultures). Death is a social event and language is closely associated to the social processes. The language, in the given context, changes significantly when it comes to talking about it, writing about it or even at the mention of it. The present paper looks at how language features as an instrument with which the expressions are relayed at an event of death. The analysis of the paper adheres to the analytic paradigm of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) conducted on the corpus of reports published about death of three prominent persons, chosen based on the manner of their death, in five most-circulated English newspapers in India. While analysing the heading and the subheading, based on Fairclough’s approach to CDA, the study would focus on how the prestige of the deceased affects the reporting of their death. The findings of the paper are preceded by the way CDA is defined, the theories of language included in CDA frameworks, the relationship of CDA and context, methodology, and finally a comparison between these reports.

This research survey looks into the idea of whether our sense of humour is a socially conditioned reflex. We borrow the concept of Benign Violation Theory (BVT) to understand the psychology of the speaker of a joke and the listener of a joke and how puns work in a developing country where one has to place themselves in a social hierarchy and their existence revolves around their social status. The power struggle between the speaker and the listener is realized via the psychological distance between the two and that of the joke and them. An online survey was conducted among various age groups and gender groups of Indian citizens. The questionnaire used for the purpose consisted of multiple-choice questions, spread to participants through various online social media platforms. The survey focuses on the language of jokes, how the language of jokes has evolved and how language is used to manipulate jokes. India is a land of multi-diversity in its every nook and turn, how would it be able to incorporate puns into its society without harming any individual or identity? With stand up comedies and other comedy reality shows emerging in the new media platforms, would the people of the country be able to address the concerns of humour irrespective of the social status and power asymmetry of the speaker and the audience? Would humour perception be able to integrate itself into Indian culture?

Every term in a language is not appropriate for all situations,with some having wrong and negative connotations also due to which people try to avoid to use them sensitive issues. Such terms are known as taboo terms. Words or expressions frequently viewed as inappropriate in specific contexts are considered taboo. The movie ‘curuḷi’ is a recently releasedMalayalam movie directed by the most celebrated filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery, son of great renowned actor Jose Pellissery, and screenplay by S Hareesh. The plot of this film is rather unusual and unique when contrasted to most other traditional Malayalam films. This paper aims to study the linguistic aspect of the taboos used in the movie Curuḷi. The specific objective of the paper is to analyse the taboo used in the movie based ontheir structure and semantics.

The present research work attempts to analyse and identify different types of affixes present in the Khortha language as it is a lesser-known language of India and it has yet to be significantly analysed at its grammatical levels to identify its different grammatical structures. McCarthy (2006) and Herman (2015) state that Affixation is the process for a bound morpheme that is attached or joined before, after or within a base; it means simple structure (as in “happy,” the base to which –ness is attached to yield “happiness”), or complex structure (as in “happy”, the base to which un- is attached to yield, “unhappiness”). Generally, the affixes are classified into prefixes, infixes, and suffixes. Khortha is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in 16 districts of Jharkhand. As per the data of the 2011 Census, Khortha has 8.04 million native speakers and the number of speakers of the Khortha language has been decreasing continuously over time. Prasad and Shastri (1958) consider Khortha to be a variety of Magahi but as per Das (2013) it is a variety of Angika. Khortha has the pattern of SOV and it is a verb-final language. The objectives of the present research are to identify the forms, the meaning and the usage of the affixes used in Khortha. It also investigates how they are equally important for forming the word formation process in Khortha. To achieve the aims of the study, it is hypothesized that affixation is found in Khortha language. For doing research, both primary and secondary sources of data have been used. Primary sources of data have been collected from the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand and for secondary sources of data, we have consulted books written in Khortha, magazines, newspapers and folktales. The findings of this study reveal the fact that Khortha employs the use of prefixes and suffixes and the use of infixes in the language is rarely seen. The study helps us understand the morphological structure of Khortha language. Moreover, the study contributes something meaningful to the area of linguistic research on lesser-known languages.

Linguistic landscape can be explained as studying perceived or actual language use in a particular environment. The city is an excellent place to cultivate the maximum use of language through the linguistic landscape. The use of languages or a specific language in a linguistic landscape of city space must be examined because it is likely to find a particular language in a specific environment. The present study considers Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, as the domain and the street. The area has an omnipresence of the Divehi or Dhivehi language, the official language of the Republic of Maldives. This study analyses the type of signs found along MCH streets. The study is done under the point explained by Bloomart in 2013 that “signs will contribute to the organisation of that space by defining addressees and selecting audiences, and by imposing particular restrictions, offering invitations, articulating norms of conduct and so on to these selected audiences” (p.40). Here, the study takes an empirical approach and is a qualitative analysis methodologically. Photographs were taken from the main street near MCH and attempted to determine the function for which the Dhivehi language is employed publicly and the extent to which these signs reflect the identity of the Maldivian residents in Thiruvananthapuram city.

This paper is on temporal divisions and their references in a day, which are exhibited in Quran. The aim of this article is to introduce andanalyse4 temporal divisions of time; fajr /fdʒr/, /subh /subħ/, /luha /dˤuħa/ and /lwahi:ra /ðˤahi:ra/ by hermeneutic semantic analysis designed by professor Peep Koort (1920– 1977) and to discuss it as a methodology for research in lexical semantics. The aim of this paper is to find deeper understanding of essential meaning content of the terms by referring the dictionaries. The qualitative methodology of hermeneutic semantic analysis is described step by step as created by Koort, interpreted and developed by the authors from the science background. From a linguistic perspective, it can be find that the hermeneutic methodology of semantic analysis is suitable for analysis and researcher developing their understanding of core concepts and theoretical constructs connected to the development of word meanings and lexical units. Keywords: Time Frames, Temporal References, Prayer Terms, Arabic Language

This paper deals with word games in Gujarati. Gujarati belongs to the Indo-European language family. Gujarati word game known as “Asma ne Tasma” involves insertion of a “nonsense syllable” with the CCV structure. The main aim of this paper is to observe the changes in the internal syllable structure brought about by the insertion of a nonsense syllable ‘smV’ to the original words in the word game. The paper attempts to deal with the following research questions: (i) Whether the addition of ‘smV’ keeps the canonical structure intact? (ii) If it breaks the canonical structure of the syllable, then what kind of structure it opts for?

Gender in language occurs structurally as bound morphemes, sound changes, or as clitics. In Gojri, the gender segregation is observed as morphemic units, and vowel change. Grammatical gender in Gojri is a way of classifying nouns that unpredictably assign them to gender categories that are often not related to their real-world qualities. The present study aims to analyse gender in Gojri and give a comprehensive description of Gojri gender and gender forming processes. The data presented in this study was collected from the native speakers of Gojri by direct interactions using a questionnaire as the tool to fetch primary data. The data was transcribed, analysed using the morphological analysis, Leipzig rules for interlinear glossing, and examined for different suffixes, and vowel changes that form the part of feminine and masculine genders in Gojri.

The purpose of this paper is to examine polysemy in Marathi adjectives, more specifically, the physical property adjectives viz., wet, cold, tiny, hard, and hot. These adjectives are studied by analysing as to how different meanings relate to the central or primary meaning. Some meanings are very close to the central meaning, while others may be more farther off. It is to be noted that different contexts often lead to slight differences in meaning. This paper will take a look at these differences and study their relatedness to the central meaning.

Twitter is a famous social networking site in today’s global world wherein people are able to communicate with each other by means of texts, voice and videos. Depending upon ones choice, people use different languages and scripts while posting on twitter. The present study is an attempt to assess the language choice of the Kashmiri speakers while using the social networking site twitter. The study also takes into account the script used by the Kashmiri speakers while on twitter. Kashmiri is the mother tongue of majority of the residents of Kashmir valley. A well-developed questionnaire was framed for collection of data. After the data collection, data was codified and analysed using SPSS version 25. The findings of the data support the view that people of Kashmir do use Kashmiri and Urdu rarely while using twitter and use English language quite often. It was also revealed that Roman script is preferred as compared to the Perso Arabic Script.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is the only Union Territory in India with more than two official languages. In addition to Dogri, Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has four other official languages including Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi and English. English is the medium of instruction and mode of examination in higher education. Dogri isone of the major languages of the Jammu province and is taught as an elective subject in the curriculum. Although students in various spheres of life use Dogri, the attitude of students towards Dogri has not been studied till date. Given this backdrop, the present study aims to find out college students’ attitudes toward Dogri. Due to its quantitative approach, this study used a survey research design. The data were collected through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire ranging from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’ administered to a total 50 participants. The result of the study showed that the respondents tend to have a positive attitude towards the Dogri language. Still, a number of students reflect a neutral attitude in some of their statements.

This study conducts a comparative examination of nonnominative subjects (NNSs) in Kannauji and Hindi-Urdu, questioning the traditional reliance on nominative case and verbal agreement as exclusive indicators of subject-hood across diverse languages. Utilizing data gathered through extensive fieldwork in villages around Karhal in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the research specifically delves into Kannauji, a lesser known non-scheduled Indo-Aryan language that has received very less attention in linguistic research. The nonnominative subjects in Kannauji are scrutinized in comparison to those in Hindi-Urdu using several subject-hood tests to prove whether the nominals under study are subjects or not. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to show that in some languages like Kanauji and Hindi-Urdu subjects can also be formed other nonnominative case markers and postpositions. Approaching the issue through a comparative framework, this study contributes to the broader comprehension of non-nominative subjects in languages characterized by unique syntactic structures. This approach advocates for a more nuanced and language-specific perspective in delineating the concept of subjects.

This paper delves into the process of causativisation in Maithili, presenting a morpho-semantic analysis that unveils the mechanisms governing the formation of various causative forms. Building upon the work of linguists like Comrie, Dixon, and Shibatani, the study explores the interplay between morphological and semantic elements in creating causative constructions. The analysis classifies distinct patterns observed in intransitive, transitive, and ditransitive verbs, with a comparison to Hindi. The paper provides explanation for the verbs in Maithili that cannot be causativised morphologically, and also discusses the formation of false causatives in Maithili with regard to the default form of causative verbs.

Language plays a critical role in shaping our understanding and interpretation of art. Artistic expression, or, say, art forms, such as paintings, sculptures, poetry, music, literature, and performance art, often convey complex ideas, emotions, and experiences that are difficult to express through words alone. Art has a unique and universal language which everybody can understand and interpret. The research employs case studies covering diverse artistic movements, spanning traditional fine arts to contemporary digital mediums. Key themes include using written language as an artistic medium and exploring how artists incorporate textual elements into their creations, whether as explicit narratives or symbolic codes. It further investigates the impact of linguistic theories, such as semiotics and structuralism, on the interpretation of visual art, unveiling how viewers engage with and derive meaning from artistic compositions. Further, artful utterances contribute to the on-going discourse on the intersection of art and language, emphasising the significance of a holistic understanding for writers, scholars, artists, and enthusiasts alike. By unravelling the intricate layers of this dynamic relationship, the paper invites further exploration into the boundless possibilities and rich tapestry created when the realms of art and language intertwine. The present study explores the symbiotic relationship between art and language, delving into the profound interconnections that shape the landscape of human expression. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the study investigates how language informs the creation and interpretation of visual art, examining the intricate ways in which artists utilise linguistic elements, symbols, and narratives to imbue their works with layered meanings.

A dormant debate on Indian languages' historiography is densely shadowed by Orientalism. At least in India, no one looks into this field. The propositions are not allowing linguistics to expand beyond language structure. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the doctrines on which language historiography is based, in general, and with reference to Punjabi, in particular. As proto-languages are not the last resort to end all debates on language history, this paper made a step forward in analysing the offspring-origin theory. Neither of these doctrines is scientific, but biblical in interpretation. Language development is distorted by these considerations in linguistics, on which objective historiography should be based. Why was India only an import centre? Why couldn't Indian languages come from the subcontinent? In this paper, we will examine alternative trends in language history.

This paper brings to light a brief description of the significance of the irresistible lexical items of English used in media for the profession of teaching and learning. Irresistible lexical items play a crucial role in understanding pedagogical activities and analyzing learning and teaching theories. The paper explores how irresistible lexical elements in English media enhance communication validity and influence the pedagogical levels of teaching and learning. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the irresistible lexical items in English which impact the pedagogical structure of language teaching and learning.