Language as a Resource for Survival: A Pragmatic Analysis of Beggars’ Discourse in Islamabad

Abstract

The study investigates how language functions as a resource for survival by analyzing the discourse of beggars in Islamabad through the lens of Indirect Speech Act Theory. The research aims to uncover how beggars strategically employ indirect speech acts to perform actions. This study used a qualitative approach to analyze the Indirect Speech acts of beggars. The findings revealed that beggars predominantly use indirect speech acts such as blessings, religious invocations, poetic recitations, and narratives of personal suffering. These strategies allow them to appeal to shared cultural and religious values while minimizing threats to the hearer’s face. Non-verbal cues, including gestures and props, further enhance the persuasive force of their discourse. The findings demonstrate that language, beyond its communicative role, serves as symbolic capital in conditions of socio-economic vulnerability. The study contributes to pragmatic research by showing how indirectness in speech acts is not merely a linguistic feature but a survival strategy.