Lexical Innovation in Pakistani and Indian English: A Comparative Study of The Golden Legend and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

This study explores the dynamic nature of English with a specific focus on its variation in postcolonial contexts, particularly in Pakistani English (PaKE) and Indian English (IndE). Through a comparative analysis of selected novels, the study examines how these non-native varieties of English are shaped, adapted, and localized, shedding light on the processes of lexical innovation and the development of distinct linguistic identities within South Asian English literature. The researchers have taken data from 150 pages of the texts of The Golden Legend (2017) by Nadeem Aslam (a Pakistani writer) and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) by Arundhati Roy (an Indian writer). The data is analyzed qualitatively. This study compares the language used by these writers to analyze how the English language undergoes a process of chutnification to be propagated, disintegrated, and indigenized by these non-native writers at the lexical level. The propositions of Schneider's Dynamic Model of Postcolonial Englishes (2007) and Baumgardner’s (1993) descriptive framework of lexis have been applied to observe the language change in the selected texts, shaping the autonomous indigenous varieties of English. The findings of this study show that nativized lexical changes are systematically regulated by established morphological processes governing word formation. It is anticipated that this study contributes to the recognition of acculturated deviation and the stability in lexical innovations in Pakistani and Indian English.