The Role of Code-Mixing in Identity Construction in Pakistani Television Dramas: A Stylistics Perspective

Abstract

This research explores the stylistic and sociolinguistic function of code-mixing in identity formation in Pakistani television plays. It employs a qualitative, style‑based analysis within an integrative theoretical framework that draws on sociolinguistics, stylistics, and discourse analysis. Taking Techniques from Labov’s Variationist Sociolinguistics, Bourdieu’s Theory of Linguistic capital, and Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame, this study investigates how Urdu-English code-mixing in drama dialogues enacts characters’ social class, gender identities, cultural background, and generational position.  As a highly influential and popular medium, Pakistani dramas provide a fertile ground for analyzing how language choices reflect and shape social identities. Although code mixing is inescapable in these dramas, its stylistic functions—particularly in shaping character’s identity—have received little scholarly attention. This gap is filled by the present study which investigates the potential of code-mixing in identity construction in Pakistani television dramas. In sum, the study argues that the phenomenon of code-mixing in the Pakistani drama is not purely a linguistic phenomenon but more of an aesthetically motivated linguistic choice that significantly contributes to character identity and the representation of hierarchical structures within society.