Pakistani English

This article is about the varieties of the English language spoken in Pakistan. For English people of Pakistani descent, see British Pakistanis.
Not to be confused with Urdish.

Pakistani English
RegionPakistan
Native speakers
108 million (2022)[1]
Early forms
Latin (English alphabet)
Unified English Braille
Official status
Official language in
 Pakistan
Language codes
ISO 639-1en
ISO 639-2eng
ISO 639-3eng
Glottologpaki1244
IETFen-PK
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Pakistani English (Paklish, Pinglish, PakEng, en-PK[2][3]) is a group of English-language varieties spoken in Pakistan and among the Pakistani diaspora.[4] English is the primary language used by the government of Pakistan, alongside Urdu, on the national level. While being spoken natively by only a small percentage of the population,[5] it is the primary language used in education, commerce, administration, and the legal and judicial systems.[6]

It was first recognised as a distinct variety of South Asian English and designated in the 1970s and 1980s.[7] Pakistani English, similar and related to Indian English, is slightly different from other varieties of English in respect to vocabulary, syntax, accent, spellings of some words[citation needed] and other features.

  1. ^ Pakistan in Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2022). Ethnologue: Languages of the World (25th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  2. ^ "Tongue-in-cheek: Not in my backside". Dawn. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  3. ^ "English as lingua franca: A linguistic imperialism?". Dawn. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  4. ^ McArthur, Tom, 1998. "Pakistani English." in Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  5. ^ "Pakistan - People | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023. With the exception of this educated elite, English is spoken fluently by only a small percentage of the population.
  6. ^ Mariam, Durrani (2012). "Banishing Colonial Specters: Language Ideology and Education Policy in Pakistan". University of Pennsylvania.
  7. ^ Hashmi, Alamgir (1987) [1978]. Preface. Pakistani Literature: The Contemporary English Writers. New York / Islamabad: World University Service / Gulmohar Press.