Urban Threads of Speech: A Metrolinguistic and Multi-modal Analysis of Fashion Vlogging in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47067/ramss.v8i4.612Keywords:
Metro-Linguistics, Fashion Vlogging, Urban Pakistan, Multi-modal Discourse, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Capital, Digital Identity, Urban SociolinguisticsAbstract
This paper analyses how fashion vloggers in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad use linguistic and multi-modal resources to produce and reproduce urban fashion identities. The research examines the interactional negotiation of authority, authenticity and aspirational value by vloggers in the digital city through the prism of metro-linguistics, interactional sociolinguistics, multi-modal discourse analysis and linguistic capital. It is designed qualitatively, and purposive sampling of thirty vlogs by major Pakistani fashion creators is conducted. Transcription and annotation of data are done in terms of speech, gesture, camera movement, setting, editing and code switching. The analysis shows that vloggers use fluid Urdu English repertoires to index modernity, confidence, and urban belonging, and visual decisions like fancy filming sites and stylised editing add symbolic value. The use of interactional cues, such as stance taking and intimate address forms, enhances the level of engagement with the audience, but the strategic use of the English language serves as linguistic capital, which enhances the perceived expertise and lifestyle authority of the vlogger. The results indicate that fashion vlogging in urban Pakistan is not just an aesthetic performance, but a socially significant practice whereby the classed aspirations, gendered identities and metropolitan imaginaries are negotiated. The work is relevant to the new research on language, media and urban culture in South Asian digital spaces.
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