We dive into the hidden world of code switching in professional settings—how millions of workers unconsciously transform their speech patterns every day to navigate workplace hierarchies and survive in corporate culture.
Key Topics Covered
What Is Code Switching Really?
Beyond bilingual language switching
How we perform different linguistic identities based on power dynamics
The invisible labor of constant speech monitoring
The Theory Behind the Performance
Bourdieu's concept of linguistic capital and habitus
Foucault's "panoptic observation" and workplace surveillance
How language becomes a technology of self-transformation
The Authenticity Trap
Why over-performing professionalism can backfire
Micro-linguistic cues that signal inauthenticity
The cruel bind: adapt too little or too much, both have consequences
The Hidden Costs
Cognitive load and mental taxation
Identity fragmentation and impostor syndrome
The myth of "bringing your authentic self to work"
Resistance and Possibilities
Strategic code switching as agency
Remote work's impact on linguistic freedom
Moving toward linguistic justice in workplaces
