Pakistan, Oct. 2 -- "Chill karo, don't do bewakoofi." Millions of Pakistanis are familiar with this informal statement, which speaks more about our linguistic reality than any grammar manual. English is being reshaped every day with a local twist in Pakistan; it is no longer imported. This inventive blending conveys confidence rather than bewilderment. Often referred to as the " Pakistanization of English," the phenomenon is not going away. It is growing and becoming more apparent in our culture, classrooms, and conversations every year. The language of colonial administrators has evolved into something lively and distinctively our own.

This trend is being driven by a number of factors. One of the most potent is literature. For example, ...