Syntactic Nativization and the Indigenization of English in Shehryar Fazli’s Invitation (2011)

Abstract

This study examines Syntactic Nativization in Shehryar Fazli’s Invitation (2011), focusing on how English in the novel is structurally reshaped under the influence of Urdu syntax and Pakistani cultural norms. Through close textual analysis, the research identifies patterns such as Urdu locational sequencing, kinship terms functioning as grammatical subjects, discourse interjections, culturally motivated coordination, and honorific placement, which collectively demonstrate the nativization of English. These syntactic adaptations transform English into a hybridized linguistic system, capable of conveying postcolonial identity and cultural specificity, while resisting the homogenizing influence of colonial English. The study concludes that Fazli’s novel exemplifies how postcolonial writers reclaim English as a tool of cultural expression, reflecting local social hierarchies, relational norms, and discourse practices, thereby challenging standard British English conventions (Kachru, 1992; Schneider, 2007; Rahman, 1990).