Linguistic Hybridity at the Workplace A Study of Urdu-English Translingual Practices in Pakistan

This study investigates the patterns and sociolinguistic functions of Urdu-English translingual practices in informal office interactions within a government workplace in Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan. Grounded in observational methodology and drawing on theories from interactional sociolinguistics, Communication Accommodation Theory, and the Markedness Model, the research explores how bilingual speakers employ code-switching as a strategic tool for navigating social relationships, institutional hierarchies, and pragmatic goals. Data collected from naturally occurring conversations among office employees reveal that language alternation is systematically tied to variables such as speaker role, setting, and communicative intent. English emerges predominantly in upward or task-oriented exchanges, while Urdu facilitates relational bonding, humor, and expressions of solidarity. The study identifies a nuanced functional distribution between the two languages, with intra-sentential switching and tag-switching serving as key structural patterns. Far from signaling linguistic deficiency, code-switching operates as a sophisticated rhetorical device that reflects both cultural hybridity and professional pragmatism. This research contributes to the growing body of scholarship on bilingualism in post-colonial contexts by foregrounding the dynamic, negotiated, and socially embedded nature of workplace discourse in Pakistan. The findings advocate for a more inclusive view of bilingual practices as assets in professional communication, challenging monolingual norms and highlighting the communicative richness of hybrid linguistic repertoires.