SOCIO-POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF LANGUAGE POLICY AND PLANNING: A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTAN'S MULTILINGUAL LANDSCAPE (1947-2020)

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the changing language policies throughout history and how they have affected the country's social dynamics, political structures, and linguistic variety. The data used for this study comprises of language policy documents. Utilized a qualitative research approach.Applied the social constructionist theoretical framework proposed by Luckmann and Berger (1966). The study's results showed that Pakistan has had a hard time coming up with a unified language policy since gaining independence. The controversial language policy had a symbolic significance in the Bengali nationalist struggle, eventually resulting in the division of East Pakistan and the establishment of Bangladesh.English's practical use in a multilingual setting has led to a pragmatic trend towards its formal acceptance. This study illuminated how historical legacies, social processes, and linguistic variety impact Pakistani language policy and highlighted Language issues in Pakistan's culture, politics, and society. Due to its solid theoretical foundations and qualitative, historical methodology, this study has considerable potential to influence language policy and planning research, policymaking, and theoretical discoveries.