From Persian Courts to Punjabi Streets: Vernacularization and the Linguistic Reorientation of the Khawaja Sira Community

Abstract

This qualitative research focuses on examining how the Khawaja Sira community in Sheikhupura, Pakistan, has evolved linguistically over the years, shifting from the historically used Persian language in Mughal courts to the modern Punjabi street language. The investigation follows this path in a diachronic sense, which anticipates the historical and sociolinguistic movements of the community throughout the years. The study assumes a dual methodological approach, combining semi-structured interviews with twelve respondents from two generations and a critical examination of historical documents, media images, and other primary sources. Through questioning the ideological underpinnings of language and its indexical uses, the research paper aims to explain how language shift forms the identity construction in this marginalized community. Results show that socio-political side-lining, the instability caused by colonialism, post-decolonization linguistic-nationalism, and economic forces all culminated in a notable replacement of Persian and formal Urdu by Punjabi. This change of language is not only a shift in the repertoire but also a historical shift for the Khawaja ″Sira communities, marking their transition from status in the Mughal Empire to marginalization in modern society. Furthermore, these changes are documented and influenced by media images, including films, television dramas, and social media information, which determine the social and cultural positioning of the community. In the final analysis, this study contributes to a larger body of knowledge on how language practices are used as indicators of social status, resistance, and belonging, thus bringing light to the complex interaction between language, power,, and identity in marginalized groups.