Linguistic Variations in the Autobiographies of Pakistani Political Figures: A Multidimensional Analysis

Author(s) : Mahrukh Fatima, Ali Raza Siddique & Muhammad Ahmad

Abstract:

This study uses multidimensional analysis to investigate linguistic variations in the autobiographical works of four Pakistani political figures. The analysis is grounded in the 67 linguistic features defining different dimensions of the texts introduced by Biber. The results unveil several compelling trends. Dimension 1, assessing the informational style of the text, manifests a shift towards a more factual and objective tone over time. Dimension 2, measuring the narrative quality of the text, exhibits a growing emphasis on storytelling and the engagement of readers through compelling narratives. Dimension 3, quantifying the explicitness of discourse, demonstrates that autobiographies are becoming more direct and explicit in their language. Dimension 4, assessing the argumentative quality of the text, indicates that these autobiographies are becoming increasingly argumentative and persistent in their presentation of arguments. Finally, dimension 5, evaluating the abstractness of discourse, illustrates a trend towards a more abstract style of discourse over time. These findings offer valuable insights into the evolving linguistic landscape of autobiographies by Pakistani political figures. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for the understanding of the role of language in Pakistani politics by highlighting the dynamic nature of the linguistic environment in the autobiographical works of Pakistani political figures.
Keywords: co-occurring linguistic features; linguistic variation, multidimensional analysis, Pakistani political autobiographies,