Emotional Expression through Code-Switching in Pakistani Multilingual Discourse

Abstract

In multilingual societies, speakers often express their emotions through the strategic use of more than one language instead of relying on a single language. This study investigates how multilingual speakers strategically utilize Urdu-English and Punjabi-English code-switching to express and manage emotions during authentic interactions. Using a qualitative research design this study purposively selected ten emotionally rich videos including Pakistani podcasts, interviews, and talk shows available on YouTube. To systematically analyse the data, this study applied an integrated analytical framework that combine Gumperz’s Interactional Sociolinguistics (1982), Martin and White’s Appraisal Theory (2005), and Pavlenko’s (2005, 2012) perspective on bilingual emotions. The findings show that code-switching is a purposeful way of communicating that helps speakers to express vulnerability, emotional assertion, emotional frustration, emotional negotiation, and interpersonal relationships. The findings also suggest that language alternation does not happen randomly. Instead, speakers switch languages based on emotional intensity, cultural meanings, and the goals of the interaction. English was commonly used by speakers for the expression of psychologically complex experiences, and reinforce evaluations, whereas Urdu and Punjabi provided the cultural and emotional foundation through which personal experiences were narrated. By integrating interactional, evaluative, and bilingual emotion perspectives into a single analytical framework, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of code-switching and emotional expression than studies relying on a single framework. This study also provides empirical evidence from authentic Pakistani multilingual discourse, contributing to a deeper understanding of the relationship between language choice, identity, and emotions in multilingual communication.