LEXICAL ANGLICISM: A THREAT TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF KHOWAR LANGUAGE?
Keywords:
AI Tools, Khowar Language, Lexical Anglicism, Linguistic Identity, Loanwords, Mixed Method ResearchAbstract
The notion of Anglicism was first proposed in 17th century. However, the increasing influence of lexical Anglicism has raised concerns about the future of indigenous languages, particularly Khowar. It is the importation of lexical items from one language to another. This study delved into analyzing the impact of lexical Anglicism on the future of Khowar language, focusing on loanwords, their types, grammatical categories and recent determinants. With a mixed-method approach 76 participants were selected for questionnaire and 12 for interviews. The findings revealed ambivalent views on loanwords. Some are of the opinion that borrowing is necessary for survival of a language and mere lexical Anglicism cannot cause language death, however, majority view lexical borrowing a threat to Khowar’s linguistic identity. Firstly, it explored that numerous words have been directly borrowed from English into Khowar without lexical substitution, although with partial or complete phonological substitution. Secondly, these loanwords are predominantly nouns, other parts of speech could rarely be found. Thirdly, recent determinants like AI tools, internet, social media have further accelerated it. Lastly, the findings have implications for language preservation, identity and highlights some strategies to preserve the linguistic hereditary of Khowar language.
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