VOICES BEHIND THE VEIL: GENDER REPRESENTATION THROUGH LANGUAGE IN PAKISTANI TELEVISION DRAMA SCRIPTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21340710Keywords:
Critical Discourse Analysis, Feminist Linguistics, Gender Representation, Ideological Discourse, Language and Gender, Pakistani Television Drama, Patriarchy, UrduAbstract
The Pakistani Television Drama is a powerhouse cultural story that captivates a massive audience, both at home and abroad. However, its sometimes-compelling storylines are underpinned by complex linguistic choices which create, perpetuate and sometimes question gendered identities. The article analyses the role of language in representation of gender in TV Drama scripts on Pakistan Television which were selected from the Drama serials aired from 2020 to 2024. The feminist critical discourse analysis (CDA), developed in the light of the three-dimensional model of Fairclough is used to explain the contribution of dialogue, address terms, speech acts, and narrative voice to the gendered power dynamics. The results provide linguistic evidence of systematically patterns that subordinate women's characters and naturalize male authority in the films and also shed light on some counter-discourses that are being developed in newer films. The author maintains that it is not possible for language to be neutral in these dramas, as it will reflect and create norms and ideas about gender. The results have great implications for media literacy programmes, the process of script writing in schools and the reform of the entire media policy in Pakistan. The study contributes to an under-researched area of feminist linguistics and South Asian Media Studies which illustrates the methodological rigour through which scriptwriters make micro-level decisions that add up to macro-level representational results. The study focuses on the representation of gender in Pakistani television dramas utilizing the critical discourse analysis approach and the language and gender analysis approach. The study is in relation to the representation of gender in Pakistani television dramas using the critical discourse analysis approach and the language and gender analysis approach and a discussion on patriarchy and Urdu in the context of representation of gender in Pakistani television dramas.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Zainab Nazir, Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Mahmood, Reena Shahzadi (Author)
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