A Descriptive Analysis of Movement Patterns of Wh-Questions in Urdu and English Language

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2022.1004.0283

Keywords:

Second Language Acquisition, Wh-Questions, Word Order, Wh-Expression, Wh-Movement, Wh-Scrambling

Abstract

The present study highlights the differences and similarities between Urdu and English language based on Wh-movement. According to Manetta (2010), Hindi-Urdu exhibits a feature-driven overt Wh-movement to Spec vp, a point from which movement of Wh-word might gain clausal scope. The extent and nature of driven overt Wh-movement will be speculated in the present study by drawing a comparison between Urdu and English language. The use of scope marking to interrogate out of finite complements is contended to postulate a homogeneous idea of the following components involved in the construction of questions in two languages: the propensity of Wh-expressions to appear in preverbal position, the potential of overt long movement, and the employment of Wh-expressions in preverbal point. The study exclaims that Urdu is an in-situ language as it bears the presence of Wh-word at canonical position whereas English is not an in-situ language because it does not bear the presence of Wh-word at middle or end positions. Further, the movement of Wh-words in English is regulatory while the movement of K-words is totally non-regulatory in Urdu language. This study will further help researchers in exploring the movement of Wh-expression in Punjabi language and its similarities with Urdu Wh-movement.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Kaynat Khudadad, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.

M.Phil. Scholar, Department of English

Azhar Pervaiz, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.

Assistant Professor, Department of English

Habiba Khatoon, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Lecturer, Department of English

Downloads

Published

2022-12-31

How to Cite

Khudadad, K., Pervaiz, A. ., & Khatoon, H. (2022). A Descriptive Analysis of Movement Patterns of Wh-Questions in Urdu and English Language. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(4), 1269–1281. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2022.1004.0283

Issue

Section

Articles