Author: Adriana Dragomir Barbu
Journal: Journal of Applied Linguistics and Information Systems, January 2026, Issue 6, pp. 1–12
Key words: Hybridity, Code-switching, Interference, Postcolonial Discourse
Abstract: The current paper employs corpus-based linguistic methodology to examine the manifestation of linguistic hybridity in Salman Rushdie's seminal postcolonial novel Midnight's Children, published in 1981. Using digital corpus analysis tools, more exactly, Voyant tools, we seek to investigate how Rushdie constructs his distinctive narrative voice through the strategic deployment of multilingual elements, code-switching patterns and lexical innovation. The research analyses a digitized corpus of the novel to identify and quantify instances of Hindi-Urdu lexical items and other hybrid lexical and grammatical structures embedded within the English narrative framework. Our corpus-based approach reveals systematic patterns in Rushdie's linguistic choices, demonstrating how hybridity functions not merely as stylistic ornamentation but as a fundamental narrative strategy. The analysis identifies three primary categories of linguistic hybridity: lexical borrowing, syntactic interference and pragmatic transfer, each serving distinct literary and cultural functions. Findings indicate that Rushdie's linguistic experimentation creates a “third space” of meaning that challenges monolingual literary conventions while asserting cultural authenticity. Accordingly, the paper contributes to pragmalinguistics, literary and functional stylistics, and digital humanities by showing how corpus methods can empirically illuminate qualitative aspects of postcolonial narrative voice and style.