Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences, Vol. 45(3) 2025, 273-287
273
©2025 PJSS, Bahauddin Zaka iya Uni e si y Mul an Pakis an
An In es iga ion o How Gende -Based Discou se in Pakis ani English Re lec s and
Rep oduces Social Ideologies h ough Co pus S ylis ic Pa e ns and C i ical
Linguis ic Analysis
a Ali Rehman, b Ayesha Za a
a Ph.D. Schola , Depa men o English, Uni e si y o Sialko , Sialko , Punjab, Pakis an
Email: 1230102075@usk .edu.pk
b Associa e P o esso , Depa men o English, Uni e si y o Sialko , Sialko , Punjab Pakis an
Email: d .ayehaza a @usk .edu.pk
ARTICLE DETAILS
ABSTRACT
His o y:
Accep ed: 19 Sep embe , 2025
A ailable Online: 30 Sep embe , 2025
Objec i e: This s udy analyzes how gende -based ideologies ac oss p in , b oadcas , and
digi al media a e encoded, no malized and ep oduced h ough linguis ic pa e ns.
Me hod: Fo he analysis, a one-million-wo d co pus (2020-2025) has been compiled om
Pakis ani English newspape s, ele ised deba es, and digi al media. Using An Conc co pus
s ylis ic ins umen s i.e., keyness, colloca ion, dispe sion, and seman ic p osody ha e been
applied. Fai clough’s CDA, an Dijk’s socio-cogni i e amewo k, Bu le ’s heo y o
pe o ma i i y, and Feminis CDA ha e p o ided in e p e i e lenses o explaining he esul s.
Resul s: The analysis e ealed ha e ms like mo ali y, domes ici y, ulne abili y, and
espec abili y a e equen ly associa ed wi h emales, whe eas males a e consis en ly linked
wi h leade ship, a ionali y, decisi eness, and au ho i y. Fu he , seman ic p osody indica es
ha a condi ional posi i i y is shown owa d women (based on decency) while
o e whelmingly posi i e associa ions a e ese ed only o men. Feminis discou se is o en
amed as i a o eign agenda, adical change, o a h ea ening o Pakis ani cul u e. A wide
male ep esen a ion ac oss media gen es is con i med h ough dispe sion pa e ns.
Conclusion: An empi ical e idence is achie ed h ough his s udy by e ealing ha Pakis ani
English wo ks as an ideological medium ha ein o ces pa ia chal hie a chies. Mains eam
media emain domina ed by adi ional gende ed amings, while coun e -discou ses a e
eme ging on digi al spaces. The indings also sugges implica ions o media policy, educa ion,
and inclusi e language p ac ices.
© 2025 The au ho s. Published by PJSS, BZU. This is an open-access esea ch pape unde
he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-Non-Comme cial 4.0
Keywo ds:
Co pus S ylis ics; Pakis ani English;
Gende Ideology; C i ical Discou se
Analysis; Language and Powe
Recommended Ci a ion:
Rehman, A., & Za a , A. (2025). An In es iga ion o How Gende -Based Discou se in Pakis ani English Re lec s and Rep oduces Social
Ideologies h ough Co pus S ylis ic Pa e ns and C i ical Linguis ic Analysis. Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences, 45(3), 107-108. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17699230
*Co esponding Au ho ’s email add ess: 1230102075@usk .edu.pk
Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences
ISSN (E) 2708-4175 ISSN (P) 2074-2061
Volume 45: Issue 3 Sep embe 2025
Jou nal homepage: h ps://pjss.bzu.edu.pk
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1. In oduc ion
Language does no simply wo k as a means o communica ion bu also as a coe ci e medium h ough which
socie ies build, p ese e, and legalize social hie a chies. He e in he Pakis ani con ex , language unc ions as an
impo an place o ideological con lic whe e issues o gende , mo ali y, and powe a e pe pe ually discussed. Being
a pos colonial and language o eli e, English holds a special signi ican place. Though i is o en associa ed wi h up-
o-da eness, lea ning, and p es igiousness, ye pa adoxically i c ea es con en ional, and pa ia chal ideologies
ansmi ed om eligious, colonial, and socio-cul u al sys ems (Rahman, 2019). Thus, he ba ling ole o English
as an emancipa o y and ideological language makes i a pe ec channel o in es iga ing how gende ed discou se
in Pakis an e lec s and s eng hens social s uc u es o powe .
This s udy un eils he pa e ns ha help in embedding social ideologies in linguis ic o ms in Pakis ani English,
h ough a gende -based discou se. An ideological weigh ha shapes how indi iduals and ins i u ions pe cei e men
and women is ca ied h ough wo ds, colloca ions and me apho s, e ealing ha hey a e no neu al in hemsel es.
S udies in C i ical Discou se Analysis (CDA) p esen ha linguis ic pa e ns equen ly encode unde lying
hie a chies a ibu ing mo ali y, obedience, and domes ici y only o women while deco a ing men wi h au ho i y,
a ionali y, and leade ship (Fai clough, 1995; Laza , 2018; an Dijk, 1998). These ideological cons uc ions ac oss
p in , b oadcas , and online pla o ms a e isible in he Pakis ani media iewpoin , whe e discou se abou women
is amed h ough mo al o na ionalis ic lenses (Zia, 2022; Riz i, 2023).
This a icle has cons uc ed upon his adi ional c i ical analysis bu a co pus s ylis ic app oach has also deployed
o p o ide an empi ical alida ion o ideological claims. The iden i ica ion o s a is ically signi ican lexical and
g amma ical pa e ns ha show how ideology wo ks h ough epe i ion and colloca ions enabled h ough co pus
s ylis ics, ha combines compu a ional ex analysis wi h in e p e i e linguis ics (Bake , 2010; S ubbs, 1996). The
s udy b idges quan i a i e and quali a i e pa adigms by inco po a ing co pus e idence wi h CDA, o unmask he
pa e ns h ough which Pakis ani English enc yp s gende ideology h ough o dina y discou se.
Fu he mo e, he s udy b oadens he discussion o la ge sociolinguis ic implica ions o Pakis ani English as a
de eloping a ie y. A s ylis ic iden i y o his localized e sion o English is being shaped h ough he pa e ns o
gende ep esen a ion in media discou se, in luencing how speake s and w i e s c ea e meaning, iden i y, and
social ela ions. Thus, disce nmen o hese pa e ns has linguis ic as well as social connec ion meaning ha i helps
in ellec uals o explo e ideological endencies and sugges s e idence-based insigh s o educa ionis s and
policymake s o p omo ing e enhanded discou se p ac ices.
The e o e, he pape , looks in o how gende -based discou se in Pakis ani English e lec s and ep oduces social
ideologies h ough co pus s ylis ic and c i ical linguis ic analysis. I aims o p esen how English ope a es as an
ideological agency by cen e ing on epea ed pa e ns o gende ep esen a ion in media and public communica ion,
ha depic and ames social cogni ion owa d gende and powe in Pakis an.
2. Li e a u e Re iew
2.1 Language, Ideology, and Gende
Language does no me ely e lec social eali y bu ac i ely builds i h ough ideological selec ion and epe i ion.
Gende ed language plays a cen al ole in pa ia chal socie ies like Pakis an, in keeping up cul u al hie a chies and
mo al amewo ks (Came on, 2020). Lako (1975) an ea ly eminis linguis s essed ha gende ed language
encodes social di e ence. While Laza (2018) a con empo a y linguis demons a es he pa e ns h ough which
discou se s a egically main ains gende asymme y ia elusi e c i ical choices. In media discou se his in e sec ion
o language and ideology is isible, especially whe e linguis ic s uc u es c ea e meaning sys ems which suppo o
challenge p edominan s anda ds.
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Linguis ic choices e.g., me apho s, p onouns, and colloca ions a e pa e ned in such a way ha a gende ideology
is mani es ed which ep esen s women as lame, emo i e, o mo alized subjec s and men as app o ed and in elligen
pe o me s ( an Dijk, 1998). The e o e, hese discu si e symbols a e no me ely desc ip i e bu a e p esc ip i e,
because hey ame wha is conside ed as socially accep ed gende beha io . Powe ope a es discu si ely by
cons uc ing he linguis ic bo de s o hough , making di e ence o be appea ed as na u al and ine i able
(Fai clough, 1995).
2.2 C i ical Discou se Analysis (CDA) and Ideological Rep esen a ion
CDA gi es a powe ul and inclusi e concep ual base o analyzing how linguis ic s uc u es cons uc and p oduce
ideology. Fai clough’s (1995) h ee-dimensional amewo k consis s o ex ual, discu si e, and social p ac ice ha
indica es how indi idual ex s a e se inside deepe social and ins i u ional s uc u es. Fu he , his model has been
suppo ed by Van Dijk’s (2006) socio-cogni i e app oach which explains how discou se de e mines sha ed social
hough h ough con inual linguis ic pa e ns. The e o e, o be aligned wi h his concep , when discou ses abou
gende become no malized, hey shape join men al models ha co ela e masculini y wi h powe and eminini y
wi h es ic ions and condi ions.
These ideological p ocesses a e in ensi ied in Pakis an h ough eligion and na ionalism, bo h ame women as
social symbols o decency and cohesion (Zia, 2022). Such ep esen a ions un h ough epea ed linguis ic cues o
example nouns like leade , s ong man, and he o ule he desc ip ions o men while adjec i es like modes , i uous,
and espec able come ou equen ly in associa ion wi h women. So, he gende ed powe ela ions seem legi ima e
and na u al when he ecu ence o hese e ms ac oss se e al gen es app o es an unwa e ing ideological schema.
2.3 Feminis CDA and Discu si e Cons uc ion o Gende
Feminis CDA, emphasizes ha language wo ks as a poin o gende ed powe con lic (Laza , 2018). I spans
adi ional CDA by concen a ing exp essly on pa ia chy as an ins i u ional and ideological sys em c ea ed h ough
discou se. Feminis CDA e eals how mode n ins i u ions like educa ion, law, and media use he language o
mo als, cul u e, and eligion o egula e emale agency especially in he Sou h Asian con ex , (Mahmood, 2012; Zia,
2022).
Media discou se egula ly communica e women in bina y ames: i uous mo he s e sus immo al ac i is s,
gua dians o cul u e e sus wes e nized eminis s (Ali & Shah, 2020; Riz i, 2023). These symboliza ions no simply
se women’s social oles bu also dema ca e he poli ical subjec i i y. Thus, Feminis CDA gi es a c i ical lens o
dis inguishing how ideology unc ions h ough linguis ic choices and o sugges ing esis i i y in coun e -
discou ses ha e ame women as independen indi iduals.
2.4 Co pus S ylis ics and C i ical Linguis ics
Whe e CDA p o ides in e p e i e p o undi y, co pus s ylis ics p oposes an empi ical ounda ion. Co pus linguis ics
uses compu a ional means o examine la ge da ase s, dis inguishing s a is ically impo an linguis ic pa e ns
(Bake , 2010). I becomes a s ong me hodology o connec ing linguis ic o m o social meaning when join wi h
s ylis ics (S ubbs, 1996; Pa ing on, 2004). Co pus s ylis ic echniques i.e., keyness, colloca ion, conco dance, and
seman ic p osody quan i y he epe i ion o linguis ic o ms and b ing ou how meaning is imp o ed h ough
equency. Co pus-assis ed CDA (CADS), a hyb id app oach me ges he objec i i y o quan i a i e analysis wi h he
in e p e i e ipeness o discou se s udies (Bake and McEne y, 2015). Ideological endencies h ough CADS, become
isible no h ough sepa a ed illus a ions bu h ough epea ed pa e ns ac oss gen es and media. Fo ins ance,
he o e ep esen a ion o woman wi h wo ds like mo al and obedien may signal ideological expec a ions embedded
in discou se. In his wo k, co pus s ylis ic ools help in disco e ing such implici linguis ic ideologies ound in
Pakis ani English.
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2.5 Pakis ani English and Gende ed Rep esen a ion
As a pos colonial a ie y, Pakis ani English, ca ies supe imposed ideological his o ies. I is desc ibed as bo h an
eli e medium and a cul u al in e b ed, shaped by colonial legacy and Islamic mo al amewo ks (Rahman, 2019).
English in Pakis an o en emains in used wi h conse a i e socio- eligious ideologies ha egula e gende
discou se bu i also symbolizes mode ni y and educa ional backg ound (Baig & Rehman, 2021). These ensions
ega ding gende ed ep esen a ion a e e lec ed in Pakis an h ough English language media, ound ha Female
poli icians and ac i is s a e o en ep esen ed h ough mo al o emo ional adjec i es, while men a e amed
h ough leade ship and logic (Ali and Shah, 2020). Simila ly, co e age o eminis mo emen s o example he
Au a Ma ch was desc ibed h ough me apho s o chaos, wes e niza ion, and ebellion o delegi imize emale oices
(Riz i, 2023). Thus, an Dijk’s (2006) model o ideological pola iza ion is also a i med h ough he indings whe e
discou se cons uc s “us” e sus “ hem” dicho omies which s e ch o h social con ol. E en hen, a place o
linguis ic discussion and esis ance is p o ided by Pakis ani English o ins ance o o e u n pa ia chal no ms,
women's igh is jou nalis s and digi al ac i is s ha e s a ed elexicalizing o hodox me apho s, using wi and
code-swi ching. Coun e -discou ses ha con es dominan ames a e c ea ed by e-app op ia ing exp essions like
Boss Lady o She Leads Pakis an. Knowledge o hese eme ging ends, equi es analy ical models, a gap ha can
be e ec i ely b idged h ough co pus s ylis ic CDA because i can accoun o bo h s a is ical pa e ns and socio-
cul u al meanings.
2.6 Resea ch Gap and Ra ionale
Despi e a g owing in e es o esea che s in language and gende , he e is an inadequacy o wo k ha engages
co pus s ylis ic me hods in Pakis ani English. Exis ing s udies a e ei he missing empi ical e i ica ion o linguis ic
equency and dis ibu ion o elies only on quali a i e CDA. Fu he , a limi ed wo k has been done ha can in o m
he pa e ns h ough which English, unde he guise o mode n way o exp ession, a symbol o p es ige unc ions
as a ansi o ansmi ing pa ia chal ideology. These gaps a e he e o e, add essed he e h ough an in eg a ion
o co pus s ylis ics wi h c i ical linguis ic in e p e a ion o analyzing how gende -based discou se in Pakis ani
English shows and c ea es social ideologies. The s udy also con ibu es o he deepe unde s anding o Pakis ani
English as a socially in eg a ed linguis ic a ie y ha ep esen s a colonial esidue as well as indigenous social
hie a chies. The e o e, he s udy p o iding a mul i-laye ed analysis ha inco po a es quan i a i e p ecision wi h
c i ical pe cep ion, s ands a he in e sec ing poin among language, gende , and ideology.
3. Resea ch Objec i es
The cu en s udy has been planned o in es iga e how linguis ic s uc u es in Pakis ani English encode and
ep oduce gende -based ideologies among a ious media and public communica ion gen es. The pa icula ized
objec i es a e:
To de e mine s a is ically impo an linguis ic pa e ns (lexical, colloca ional, and seman ic) in Pakis ani
English ha shape he ep esen a ion o gende .
To iden i y how hese ecu en linguis ic pa e ns in Pakis an’s sociocul u al con ex e lec he implici
social ideologies o pa ia chy, mo ali y, and au ho i y.
To explain hese co pus-based pa e ns h ough c i ical linguis ic and discou se amewo ks o un eil how
English wo ks as a medium o ideological discussion.
To judge he implica ions o hese indings o ecognising Pakis ani English as a localized a ie y and o
p omo ing equi able language p ac ices in media, educa ion, and public discou se.
3.1 Resea ch Ques ions
The s udy add esses he ollowing ques ions s uc u ed on he abo e objec i es:
i. Wha ecu en lexical and colloca ional pa e ns indica e gende ed ep esen a ions o powe and mo ali y,
in Pakis ani English media discou se?
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ii. How do hese linguis ic pa e ns in Pakis ani socie y, ag ee o deepe ideological cons uc s such as
pa ia chy, na ionalism, and eligion?
iii. In wha ways does English-language media ep oduce o challenge adi ional gende no ms h ough
discou se?
i . How can co pus s ylis ic e idence e eal he socio-cogni i e mechanisms behind such gende ed
ep esen a ions wi h a CDA and Feminis CDA suppo ?
4. Me hodology
4.1 Resea ch Design
Th ough a mixed-me hods co pus s ylis ic design, his esea ch combines quan i a i e co pus analysis wi h
quali a i e c i ical in e p e a ion. The s udy ollows he Co pus-Assis ed Discou se S udies (CADS) pa adigm
(Bake , 2010), which combines he s a is ical p ecision o compu a ional me hods wi h he in e p e i e dep h o
C i ical Discou se Analysis (CDA). Recu ing lexical and colloca ional pa e ns in he co pus a e iden i ied h ough
quan i a i e analysis, whe eas quali a i e explana ion places hese pa e ns in he socio-ideological amewo k o
Pakis ani socie y.
4.2 Theo e ical F amewo k
The s udy includes h ee suppo ing pe spec i es in heo e ical amewo k:
Fo analyzing ex s a ex ual, discu si e, and social le els, Fai clough’s (1995) Th ee-Dimensional
CDA Model has been employed o show he ela ionship be ween language and powe .
Fo demons a ing how discou se cons uc s sha ed men al models ha p oduce social inequali y
and gende s e eo ypes, an Dijk’s (1998, 2006) Socio-Cogni i e Model has been aken as e uge.
To highligh how gende is pe o med and no malized h ough linguis ic epe i ion and discu si e
con ol, Bu le ’s (1990) Theo y o Pe o ma i i y, in eg a ed wi h Feminis CDA (Laza , 2018) ha e
been sough .
An analysis om su ace linguis ic pa e ns o he deepe ideological and pe o ma i e dimensions
o gende ed discou se in Pakis ani English is helped h ough hese heo ies.
4.3 Co pus Compila ion and Desc ip ion
Fo his s udy, a one-million-wo d co pus co esponding English-language public discou se in Pakis an (2020-
2025) was compiled. I comp ises h ee sub-co po a:
Table 1
Co pus Compila ion and Desc ip ion
Sub-Co pus
Sou ce Type
Size (Wo ds)
Desc ip ion
P in Media
Dawn, The News, Exp ess
T ibune
400,000
A icles, popula opinion columns, and ea u e
a icles on gende , poli ics, and cul u e
B oadcas
Media
Capi al Talk, News Eye,
O he Reco d
300,000
W i en eco d om ele ised deba es and
in e iews co e ing gende and mo ali y
Digi al Media
X (Twi e ), Facebook,
Blogs
300,000
Online edi o ials, Public pos s, and commen h eads
on eminism, social oles, and gende deba es
4.3.1 Ra ionale o Selec ion
Pe sonal and opinion columns ha e been chosen due o hei e iden ial eade ship and discu si e in luence in
shaping public opinion. hese columns unlike o s aigh o wa d news epo ing, p o ide e alua i e language and
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ideological aming, making hem pe ec o analyzing how gende ideologies a e linguis ically cons uc ed and
dissemina ed among Pakis an’s English-educa ed eli e.
4.3.2 Inclusion C i e ia
Tex s published be ween 2020 and 2025 in English-language media o igina ing om Pakis an.
Publicly accessible ma e ial wi h iden i iable au ho ship o ins i u ional a ilia ion.
Con en explici ly e e encing gende , mo ali y, amily, eminism, o social iden i y.
4.3.3 Exclusion C i e ia
T ansla ions om U du o egional languages.
Anonymous o p i a e social media con en .
Duplica ed o machine-gene a ed ma e ial (ad e isemen s, au oma ed pos s).
Using An Conc 3.6.7, all ex s ha e been p e-p ocessed, okenized, lemma ized, and no malized o lowe case. F om
gene al Pakis ani English (poli ics, educa ion, spo s, business), a e e ence co pus o i e million wo ds has been
ex ac ed o se e as a neu al baseline o keyness compa ison.
4.4 Analy ical P ocedu es
S ep 1: Keywo d and F equency Analysis
Rema kably o e delinea ed lexical i ems in he gende co pus compa ed wi h he e e ence co pus by using he
log-likelihood es (p < .001) ha e been iden i ied. F equencies ha e been no malized pe 10,000 wo ds o help
compa abili y ac oss sub-co po a. Te ms ha highligh gende like woman, man, gi l, eminis , wi e, and leade
ha e been iden i ied h ough his p ocess.
S ep 2: Colloca ion and Dispe sion Analysis
Mu ual In o ma ion (MI > 3) and logDice (> 3) in a ±5-wo d window ha e been used o measu e colloca ional
s eng h. Besides his Juilland’s D has been employed o alue dispe sion, gua an eeing ha ecu ing pa e ns
we e no con ined o a ew ex s. Then, equen colloca es e.g., mo ali y, domes ici y, and powe ha e been
hema ically ca ego ized.
S ep 3: Seman ic P osody and Conco dance Analysis
Seman ic p osody has been examined by analyzing 200 conco dance lines pe keywo d o ind ou e alua i e
endencies whe he gende ed e ms co-occu ed wi h posi i e, nega i e, o condi ional mo al judgmen s. S ubbs
(1996) and Louw (1993), ha e been ollowed o analyze he ideological o ien a ions in he use o gende ed
ocabula y.
S ep 4: Quali a i e CDA In e p e a ion
To explica e how linguis ic s uc u es, cons uc cogni i e ames o gende and au ho i y, quan i a i e indings
ha e been p ocessed h ough Fai clough’s (1995) and an Dijk’s (2006) models. How language enac s and
na u alizes gende hie a chies has been u he showed up h ough Feminis CDA and Bu le ’s pe o ma i i y lens.
4.5 Reliabili y and Validi y
C oss- alida ion o esul s ac oss all h ee media sub-co po a had ensu ed he eliabili y. To emo e alse posi i es,
especially in cases o i ony, quo a ions, o sa casm manual e i ica ion was conduc ed as well as h ough
iangula ion wi h exis ing quali a i e s udies on Pakis ani media discou se, alidi y has been s eng hened (Ali &
Shah, 2020; Riz i, 2023; Zia, 2022). Thus, he combina ion o s a is ical measu emen and c i ical in e p e a ion
secu es bo h empi ical accu acy and con ex ual dep h.
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4.6 E hical Conside a ions
The e hical s anda ds o he Associa ion o In e ne Resea che s (AoIR, 2019) ha e been ollowed h oughou he
s udy. Only publicly a ailable da a wi h emo ed pe sonal iden i ie s ha e been analyzed. Making ce ain a ull
compliance wi h esea ch e hics and digi al da a anspa ency, no p i a e communica ion o es ic ed-access
ma e ial ha e been included.
4.7 Scope and Limi a ions
The ocus o his esea ch is exclusi ely on English-language media in Pakis an and i does no include U du o
egional-language pla o ms whe e gende na a i es may dissen . Also, he co pus only ep esen s a i e-yea
sociopoli ical pe iod (2020-2025) cha ac e ized by in ensi ied deba e a ound eminism and mo ali y. To compa e
ideological shi s ac oss ime and language communi ies, u u e esea ch may b oaden he analysis diach onically
o c oss-linguis ically.
5. Da a Analysis and In e p e a ion
In his sec ion he co pus indings a e p esen ed in wo phases:
(1) Quan i a i e keywo d and colloca ion pa e ns, and (2) Quali a i e c i ical discou se in e p e a ion.
Toge he , hese analyses enligh ens he pa e ns h ough which gende -based discou se in Pakis ani English e lec s
and ep oduces social ideologies o pa ia chy, mo ali y, and au ho i y.
5.1 Quan i a i e Findings: Keywo d and F equency O e iew
In he keywo d analysis he gende co pus (1M wo ds) was compa ed wi h he 5M-wo d neu al e e ence co pus.
using Log-likelihood (p < .001) was used o iden i y wo ds signi ican ly o e ep esen ed in gende ed discou se in
keywo d ex ac ion.
Table 2
Top Keywo ds in Gende -Based Discou se (Pakis ani English, 2020–2025)
Rank
Keywo d
LL Value
Dispe sion (D)
Thema ic Field
Common Colloca es
1
woman
845.2
0.73
Mo ali y, Respec abili y
mo al, modes , mo he , home
2
man
512.6
0.81
Leade ship, Powe
s ong, leade , b a e, decisi e
3
gi l
367.4
0.64
Vic imhood, You h
young, ic im, ha assed, hono
4
eminis
289.1
0.59
Resis ance, Ac i ism
wes e n, adical, p o es
5
wi e
240.5
0.68
Domes ici y
ai h ul, mo he , du y, amily
6
leade
213.4
0.77
Au ho i y, Poli ics
na ional, s ong, man
7
mo he
201.7
0.71
Ca e, Mo ali y
nu u ing, pious, sel less
8
espec
180.4
0.74
Hono , Religion
woman, amily, socie y
5.1.1 In e p e a ion:
A clea lexical pola iza ion be ween male and emale e e en s is indica ed h ough he equency pa e ns. I shows
ha Female-cen e ed lexemes (e.g., woman, wi e, mo he , espec ) a e ga he ed a ound domes ici y, mo ali y, and
pie y, while Male-cen e ed lexemes (e.g., man, leade , s ong) a e domina ed in he ields o powe , agency, and
na ional iden i y. This asymme y e eals how linguis ic epe i ion na u alizes gende ed social oles: women a e
desc ibed as subjec s o mo al e alua ion while men appea as agen s o ac ion.
Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences, Vol. 45(3) 2025, 273-287
280
Figu e 1
Keywo d F equency Dis ibu ion in Gende ed Discou se (Pakis ani English Co pus 2020 – 2025)
Al -Tex : A ba cha showing he ela i e equencies o “man,” “leade ,” “woman,” “mo he ,” “ espec ,” “gi l,”
and “ eminis .” “Man” and “leade ” ha e he highes no malized equencies, e ealing male-cen ic isibili y and
agency in Pakis ani English media discou se.
5.2 Colloca ional Pa e ns
Mu ual In o ma ion (MI > 3) and logDice (> 3) ha e been used o conduc colloca ion analysis wi h a ±5-wo d
span. F equen colloca es we e hen ca ego ized hema ically.
Table 3
Selec ed Colloca ional Pa e ns
Node Wo d
F equen Colloca es
Seman ic Ca ego y
Obse ed Ideology
woman
mo al, obedien , espec able,
home, ole
Vi ue / Mo ali y
Women as mo al gua dians and domes ic
igu es
man
s ong, wise, decisi e, b a e, lead
Powe / Ra ionali y
Men as leade s and decision-make s
gi l
young, ic im, ha assed,
mu de ed
Vulne abili y
Female you h amed as helpless o
endange ed
eminis
wes e n, con o e sial, bold,
mo emen
Resis ance /
De iance
Feminism amed as o eign o adical
mo he
pious, sel less, nu u ing, na ion
Re e ence /
Symbolism
Mo he hood idealized as mo al and
na ional i ue
5.2.1 In e p e a ion
These colloca ional endencies elabo a e he mo aliza ion o eminini y and a ionaliza ion o masculini y. A
cons an pai ing o woman wi h mo al and home implies ha emale espec abili y is linguis ically kno ed o
domes ic a ibu e and i ue. Con as i ely, man co esponds wi h au ho i y and leade ship, s eng hening he
ideological nexus be ween masculini y and dominance.
Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences, Vol. 45(3) 2025, 273-287
281
5.3 Seman ic P osody and E alua i e Meaning
200 conco dance lines o key gende e ms we e manually analyzed o assess e alua i e endencies. The seman ic
p osody disco e ed he ollowing ends:
Posi i e P osody o Men: Te ms like man and leade we e su ounded by posi i e lexical ci cle likewise, espec ed,
cou ageous, and isiona y. Fo example:
“He eme ged as a s ong man who guided he na ion in c isis.” (The News, 2023)
Condi ional Posi i i y o Women: Female e e en s ecei ed app o al when con o ming o con en ional
expec a ions. Posi i e judgmen was dependen upon mo al compliance. Fo ins ance:
“A good woman p o ec s he amily’s hono and ai h.” (Dawn, 2022)
5.3.1 Nega i e o Skep ical P osody o Feminis s
“These so-called eminis s p omo e wes e n alues agains ou cul u e.” (Capi al Talk, 2023)
Feminis discou se has been equen ly delegi imized h ough nega i e modi ie s e.g., so-called, adical, o o eign.
5.3.2 Vic imhood Lexicon o Gi ls and Women
The wo d gi l o en co-occu ed wi h ic im, ha assed, and mu de ed, indica ing a ecu ing na a i e o
ulne abili y a he han conce n.
These indings go wi h Laza ’s (2018) obse ance ha pa ia chal discou se simul aneously p aises and cons ains
women h ough ewa ding pie y and punishing sel - eliance.
5.4 Dispe sion and C oss-Media Compa ison
P in Media: Holding ou o o mal ideological one s eng hening mo al espec abili y and amily hono ha e been
obse ed.
Tele ision: I was obse ed ha on TV male oices domina e public easoning by ampli ying gende
pola iza ion, while emale pa icipan s a e ei he in e up ed o amed emo ionally.
Digi al Media: I shows mo e di e si y, al hough on social media eminis coun e -discou ses exis ,
ye hey emain linguis ically ma ginalized due o sa casm o mo alis ic c i icism.
Dispe sion Values: Male e ms show highe dispe sion (D = 0.81) ac oss all media, implying
b oade ep esen a ional ange while emale e ms clus e a ound limi ed con ex s (D = 0.64),
indica ing hema ic con inemen o mo ali y and domes ici y.
Figu e 2
Dispe sion o Male and Female Te ms Ac oss Media Pla o ms
