A Critical Discourse and Corpus-Assisted Analysis of the Patriotic Song “Aye Raah-e-Haq Ke Shaheedo” (Original by Naseem Begum)

Abstract

This study presents a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the iconic Urdu patriotic song Aye Raah-e-Haq Ke Shaheedo, originally sung by Naseem Begum. The song occupies a central position in Pakistan’s cultural memory and is frequently performed during national commemorations of martyrs. Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, van Dijk’s socio-cognitive framework, multimodal discourse theory, and a small-scale corpus-assisted approach, the study examines how linguistic, ideological, and musical resources construct martyrdom, sacrifice, and national identity. Corpus tools are employed to identify dominant lexical patterns and semantic fields supporting ideological meanings. The findings demonstrate that martyrdom is framed as sacred, morally elevated, and foundational to national unity, while multimodal features intensify emotional engagement. The analysis also acknowledges the possibility of alternative and resistant interpretations, highlighting the negotiable nature of patriotic discourse.

Keywords: CDA, corpus-assisted discourse analysis, nationalism, martyrdom, multimodality, Urdu patriotic songs.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18220994