Multilingualism in Indian Stand-Up Comedy: A Discourse Analysis

India's rich linguistic tapestry-comprising 22 constitutionally recognized languages and hundreds of dialects-finds a unique performative expression in its stand-up comedy scene.This study undertakes a comprehensive discourse analysis of multilingual strategies employed by leading Indian comedians to interrogate how language choice functions as both a comedic device and a marker of social identity.Drawing on 250 survey responses from comedy aficionados across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai, and on detailed transcriptions of fifteen specials by performers such as Vir Das, Zakir Khan, Aditi Mittal, Kanan Gill, and Kenny Sebastian, the research integrates quantitative audience perceptions with qualitative pragmatic analysis.Building on frameworks from Muysken's typology of code-mixing, Bourdieu's concept of linguistic capital, and Braun & Clarke's thematic analysis, we first catalogue instances of insertional borrowings (single words/phrases), alternational switches (larger syntactic units), and congruent lexicalization (parallel mixing at multiple levels).We then examine the pragmatic functions of each pattern-such as emphasis, solidarity building, framing of punchlines, and social critique-and correlate these with audience-reported humor appreciation, perceived authenticity, and comprehension.