Language

An overview of the language of “Day Trippers” by Raman Mundair reveals that the author combines simple, Standard English with words in Punjabi. This choice of words gives the story and the characters authenticity, as the events take place in the UK but concern two people of Indian origins. Many words are related to food and traditional clothes, which help the author explore the theme of different cultures.

Dialogue is not used in the story; when a character is quoted the author chooses to use indirect speech: “Aisling told Gurpreet that he was no longer the man she married.” (l. 144). The author prefers to convey the events in the discursive or narrative mode.

Certain parts of the narrative come across as humorous, mainly due to situational irony (Parminder and Gurpreet usually reject people from their own culture but they end up falling in love with each other).

Imagery (conveying mental images through descriptive words) is used in the text in relation to the way the characters act and the setting. There is extensive imagery connected to gastronomic habits and traditions: “…she delighted in the Orrefors wine glasses and decanter, the little Radford cheese knives, the Sagaford cheese dome, platter and the subtle porcelain pla...