Socio-Cultural Impact on Invitations: A Comparative Analysis of British and Pakistani Wedding Cards
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15687369Keywords:
Wedding Invitation, Genre Analysis, Socio-Cultural Conventions, Critical Discourse AnalysisAbstract
Purpose: This study investigates the socio-cultural impact on Pakistani and British wedding invitations, focusing on the organizational structure and linguistic features that shape the genre. It aims to explore how wedding cards reflect the conventions of their respective societies.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employs a qualitative design using Bhatia’s (1993) genre analysis and Fairclough’s (1989) critical discourse analysis (CDA). A corpus of 100 Pakistani and 30 British wedding invitations (2018–2019) was collected via convenience sampling. The research identifies move structures, linguistic and paralinguistic features, and socio-cultural influences. A limitation is the sample imbalance between Pakistani and British data.
Findings: Pakistani invitations exhibit an 8-move structure shaped by religiosity, parental influence, gender roles, and socio-economic status. British invitations follow a 6-move structure, highlighting parental influence but lacking overt socio-cultural constraints. Pakistani cards also show greater paralinguistic richness (e.g., verses, calligraphy, icons), while British cards remain minimalist.
Implications/Originality/Value: This research reveals how genre conventions are shaped by deep-rooted cultural ideologies and offers comparative insights into Eastern and Western social practices. The study extends genre theory by incorporating underrepresented cultural contexts, offering implications for discourse pedagogy and intercultural communication.
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