Lingua come mezzo per creare un'identità: il caso del Pakistani English in Londonstani

This paper has as its purpose the investigation of the two complex phenomena of plurilingualism and multilingualism from a point of view of daily application. By stating firstly what they are and how are they perceived, this paper will continue with the analysis of the linguistic conception in the novel Londonstani, which highlights the linguistic condition of plurilingualism and the psychological state of multilingualism, affecting the lives of the main characters. Throughout the novel, a selected list of words – frequently used – will be analyzed, with the ultimate purpose of demonstrating how the language is an instrument used by the main characters to reshape themselves and to create an identity.

Questa tesi ha come scopo l'indagine dei due complessi fenomeni del plurilinguismo e del multilinguismo da un punto di vista di applicazione quotidiana. Attraverso il romanzo Londonstani di Gautam Malkani, in cui è presente la varietà di inglese del Pakistani English, verranno analizzati termini specifici che andranno a dimostrare come la lingua serva a crearsi una nuova identità.